GSK's Tykerb "Little More" to Offer

The future of GSK’s Tykerb (lapatinib) in the breast cancer market is unclear, after the combination of Tykerb and Herceptin in the large Phase III trial, ALTTO, showed no statistical superiority over Herceptin alone for improving disease-free survival, says research and consulting firm GlobalData.

“Tykerb has failed to establish itself as a strong competitor in the HER2 positive market, and its use in the adjuvant setting was the only way it could gain a decent share of the breast cancer therapeutics market after Roche launched Perjeta and Kadcyla,” said GlobalData analyst Jamie Mallinson, Ph.D.

This failure indicates that there is “little more to expect from Tykerb”. GlobalData believes that neither GSK nor Novartias, who bought GSK’s oncology portfolio in April, will spend significant efforts in marketing the drug further.

Mallinson added: “For now, the pharmaceutical industry keenly awaits the results of the adjuvant Perjeta clinical trial, APHINITY, with preliminary DFS data expected in 2016.” 

Perjeta was approved for use in the neoadjuvant setting by the FDA in 2013.