Trastuzumab Biosimilars Safe, Effective Among Patients With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Findings from a recent study show that trastuzumab biosimilars are safe and effective compared to the reference drug and improve patients' accessibility to breast cancer treatment (Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2022. doi:10.2174/1871520622666220302114313).

While trastuzumab is associated with improved disease control and high survival rates among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, the cost of production is high, significantly affecting health budgets and resulting in limited patient access. 

“Recently, trastuzumab production became more accessible and sustainable due to the patents’ expiration, allowing biosimilar versions of trastuzumab to be developed,” wrote Bárbara Peliçário Vargas, Departamento de Farmácia Industrial, Curso de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil, and colleagues.

This study aimed to analyze the use of biosimilars in breast cancer treatment, with an emphasize on trastuzumab. 

Several databases were used to conduct and integrative review of scientific articles including the terms "biosimilar, breast cancer, monoclonal antibody, and trastuzumab” published between 2015 and 2021. 

This integrative review found that the monoclonal antibody's therapy with trastuzumab improved life expectancy among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, however, the economic restrictions remain. Trastuzumab biosimilars rarely cause adverse effects compared to conventional chemotherapy.

“This study shows that trastuzumab biosimilars improve patients' accessibility to breast cancer treatment through a safe and effective therapy compared to the drug reference,” concluded Ms Peliçário Vargas and colleagues.