Biosimilars lining up to compete with Herceptin--opportunity knocks

Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody developed by Genentech as a treatment for breast cancer and gastric cancer when the cancer cells overexpress HER2, a membrane-bound receptor activated by epidermal growth factor. Now marketed by Roche under the trade name Herceptin, trastuzumab has been readily adopted as treatment for some of the most invasive types of breast cancer. The cost for Herceptin is over $50,000 for a full course of treatment. With the development of regulatory pathways for biosimilar products, and the imminent expiry of patents covering Herceptin, several companies have developed biosimilar trastuzumab products. As biosimilar manufacturers look for opportunities to market biosimilar trastuzumab products, Roche has positioned itself to protect its market by developing additional anti-HER2 products complementary to Herceptin. The advent of competition from biosimilars should bring some opportunity for cost savings for patients, as well as incentive for continued advancement in development of better treatments to fight breast cancer.