GlaxoSmithKline tests Tykerb against Herceptin in early breast cancer

Forbes reports GlaxoSmithKline tests Tykerb against Herceptin in early breast cancer

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it has launched large-scale trials comparing its late-stage breast cancer drug Tykerb against Herceptin in early-stage breast cancer.

The trial will evaluate and compare the rate at which cancer cells disappear in the breast following treatment with lapatinib, the active ingredient in Tykerb, and/or trastuzumab, the active ingredient Genetech Inc's Herceptin, before surgery in women with early-stage ErbB2-positive (HER2-positive) positive breast cancer.

The implications for digital pathology are minimal; patients would still be tested for Her2 positivity using IHC, FISH, etc, but it might provide a more effective drug with fewer side effects than Herceptin. If nothing else the competition could lower the cost of treatment…