UK NICE does not recommend Perjeta (pertuzumab) plus Herceptin (trastuzumab) for HER2-positive breast cancer- Roche

NICE has issued draft guidance not recommending Perjeta (pertuzumab), from Roche, to treat HER2-positive breast cancer because it is uncertain how the responses to treatment seen in the clinical trials translate into long term benefits for patients. The committee concluded that there was a lack of long-term evidence comparing pertuzumab with other treatments used before breast cancer surgery. There was evidence that adding pertuzumab to trastuzumab and docetaxel was more successful at getting rid of cancer in the breast and lymph nodes before surgery but it was very uncertain about the extent to which this would reduce the risk of the disease recurring and result in longer survival.

The draft guidance looked at pertuzumab used in this way to treat HER2-positive breast cancer that is locally advanced, inflammatory, or early-stage and at high risk of coming back. Although the NICE draft guidance does not recommend pertuzumab, it does state that people already receiving the drug should continue until they or their doctor thinks it’s appropriate to stop.

Comment: In July 2015, the EU approved use of Perjeta plus Herceptin prior to surgery in early stage breast cancer.