On June 29, 2020 Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Roche’s Phesgo (pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase-zzxf) injection, a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of Perjeta and Herceptin with Halozyme’s ENHANZE technology, administered subcutaneously in combination with intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, for the treatment of eligible patients with early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer (Press release, Halozyme, JUN 29, 2020, View Source [SID1234561532]). This is the first time a product has been approved combining two monoclonal antibodies that can be administered by a single subcutaneous injection utilizing Halozyme’s ENHANZE technology.
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"We are excited that HER2-positive breast cancer patients in the U.S. will now have the option to receive this important therapy in a meaningfully shorter period of time," said Dr. Helen Torley, president and chief executive officer. "This subcutaneous delivery was shown to be preferred to IV administration by 85% of patients in the PHranceSCa study due to less time in the clinic and more comfortable treatment administration. Phesgo is the second product to receive FDA approval this year, and the first demonstrating the ability to combine two monoclonal antibodies, utilizing our ENHANZE technology."
Phesgo is available in single-dose vials and can be administered in approximately eight minutes for the initial loading dose and approximately five minutes for each subsequent maintenance dose.(1) This is compared to approximately 150 minutes for a sequential infusion of a loading dose of Perjeta and Herceptin using the standard IV formulations, and between 60-150 minutes for subsequent maintenance infusions of the two medicines.(2,3) Phesgo can be administered by a healthcare professional in a treatment center or at a patient’s home.
The approval is based on results from the pivotal phase III FeDeriCa study, which met its primary endpoint, with Phesgo showing non-inferior levels of Perjeta in the blood during a given dosing interval (Ctrough), when compared to IV administration of Perjeta. The safety profile of Phesgo with chemotherapy was comparable to IV administration of Perjeta plus Herceptin and chemotherapy, and no new safety signals were identified, including no meaningful difference in cardiac toxicity. The most common adverse events in both arms were alopecia, nausea, diarrhea and anemia.(1,4)
The phase II PHranceSCa study showed that 85% (136/160) of people receiving treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer preferred treatment under the skin to IV administration due to less time in the clinic and more comfortable treatment administration.(1)
About ENHANZE Technology
Halozyme’s proprietary ENHANZE drug-delivery technology is based on its patented recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme (rHuPH20). rHuPH20 has been shown to remove traditional limitations on the volume of biologics that can be delivered subcutaneously (just under the skin). By using rHuPH20, some biologics and compounds that are administered intravenously may instead be delivered subcutaneously. ENHANZE may also benefit subcutaneous biologics by reducing the need for multiple injections. This delivery has been shown in studies to reduce health care practitioner time required for administration and shorten time for drug administration.