Breast Cancer Treatment Will Become More Dynamic as Newer Targeted Agents and Regimens Involving Combination Targeted Therapies Launch Over the Next Few Years

BURLINGTON, Mass., March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources Group finds that efficacy more than any other factors drives oncologists' prescribing of targeted therapies for breast cancer and, according to the majority of surveyed oncologists, the escalating overall cost of drug treatment for breast cancer has little or no impact on their treatment decisions. The landscape for breast cancer therapies will become more dynamic as newer targeted agents and drug combinations launch over the next few years. Results of a survey of 101 oncologists and 30 medical directors and pharmacy directors of managed care organizations (MCOs), reveals that MCOs, through reimbursement and restrictions, have only a limited influence on prescribing of approved agents.

Other key findings from the U.S. Physician & Payer Forum report entitled The Expanding Role of Targeted Agents in Breast Cancer: Physician and Payer Receptivity to the Integration of Novel Premium-Priced Therapies in Highly Generic Market Segments:

• Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer: The treatment of first-line HER2-positive breast cancer will become increasingly fragmented. First-line treatment is currently dominated by Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Herceptin and to a lesser extent Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Perjeta/Herceptin however, the approval of Novartis's Afinitor/Herceptin and Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Kadcyla/Perjeta will recast patient share within the first-line.
• Adjuvant HER2-positive breast cancer: Dual HER2-targeted therapies, GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb/Herceptin and Perjeta/Herceptin could obtain significant patient share in the adjuvant setting. If the FDA approves Perjeta/Herceptin in 2016, surveyed office- and hospital-based oncologists estimate they would prescribe this therapy to over half of their adjuvant HER2+ breast cancer patients one year after launch.
• Afinitor/exemestane: Among surveyed oncologists who do not currently prescribe Afinitor/exemestane to their eligible HR-positive patients, high cost compared with generically available treatments and lack of familiarity with Afinitor/exemestane are the most common reasons cited for not prescribing this treatment.

Comments from Decision Resources Group Senior Director Niamh Buckley, Ph.D.:

• "More than one-half of hospital-based oncologists and almost one-third of office-based oncologists consider the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to be a validated target in hormone-resistant breast cancer following the approval of Afinitor in this population. This finding is encouraging for Novartis' emerging pan-class I PI3K inhibitor buparlisib"
• "If approved, Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors will be mostly prescribed to triple-negative patients in the first-line setting. Many oncologists however anticipate reserving the PARP inhibitors for later lines of treatment because they believe that currently available chemotherapy options are more efficacious".

Upcoming webinar:

• Media members are welcome to attend our upcoming webinar based on this report entitled Physician and Payer Receptivity to Novel Premium-Priced Breast Cancer Therapies. This presentation will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2014. For more information, please contact Christopher Comfort at [email protected].

About Decision Resources Group
Decision Resources Group offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on critical issues within the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Find out more at www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com.

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For more information, contact:

Decision Resources Group
Christopher Comfort
781-993-2597
[email protected]

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SOURCE Decision Resources Group