A NEW breast cancer therapy shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and improve disease-free survival in women is now approved for use in Thailand.

NERLYNX^® (neratinib), an oral medication, has been approved by the Thailand Food and Drug Administration (Thailand FDA) as a single agent "for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage hormone receptor positive HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer and who completed adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy less than one year ago."^[1] Additionally, NERLYNX has been approved in combination with capecitabine"for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti-HER2 based regimens in the metastatic setting."

In early breast cancer, NERLYNX has been shown to significantly reduce the ongoing risk of recurrence in women positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2+), with the greatest benefit seen in women who are also hormone-receptor positive (HR+) and who commence therapy within 12 months of completing trastuzumab-based therapy. For these women, the five-year risk of recurrence is reduced by up to 42%.

In women with advanced or metastatic HER2+ breast cancer, NERLYNX in combination with capecitabine (N+C) was found to significantly improve mean progression free survival (PFS) by 2.2 months over treatment with lapatinib plus capecitabine (L+C).^[5] The duration of treatment response was longer for patients administered N+C (8.5 months) versus L+C (5.6 months), while the risk of disease progression or death was reduced by up to 24% among those treated with N+C at a median follow-up of 30 months.

NERLYNX is being made available in Thailand by independent pharmaceutical company, Specialised Therapeutics (ST), under exclusive license from Puma Biotechnology, Inc.

ST Chief Executive Officer, Mr Carlo Montagner, said the approval of NERLYNX in Thailand was an important milestone for the company.

"We are proud to have obtained approval of NERLYNX in Thailand for adults with HER2 positive breast cancer. This is a significant milestone for Specialised Therapeutics, but importantly also for women diagnosed with breast cancer in Thailand who will be presented with an opportunity to access a treatment that will help reduce the risk of disease recurrence and improve outcomes, in either the early or advanced stages of their disease." 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Thai women, and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in females, behind liver cancer. The incidence of breast cancer in Thailand has been rising at an alarming rate, with the annual age-standardised incidence rate doubling over the past 20 years (from 17.8/100,000 in 1998, to 35.7/100,000 in 2020).^[8,9] In 2022, 21,628 Thai women were newly diagnosed with breast cancer, accounting for almost a quarter (23.2%) of all new cancer diagnoses in females. 

Coinciding with the NERLYNX approval, ST is also pleased to announce the growth of its Thailand office, with new field force members due to join the company in March 2025. 

"We are extremely excited about the new journey we are undertaking in Thailand," said Mr Montagner. "Hiring our first field force employees, who have an extensive understanding of the local healthcare landscape, enables us to connect with oncologists around the country at the earliest opportunity, ahead of launching NERLYNX and making it available for eligible breast cancer patients as soon as possible. 

"As we continue to seek approvals for our strong pipeline of specialised medicines and technologies, we remain committed to meeting the needs of patients with rare diseases across Thailand, and making a difference to their lives. We look forward to working with the Thailand FDA and local specialists as we endeavour to provide timely access to these new treatments for the patients that need them."