Pertuzumab For Treatment Of Malignancies

Pertuzumab (Perjeta), a monoclonal antibody, is a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antagonist. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for (1) treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel (2) as neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive locally advanced, inflammatory, or early-stage breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy and (3) as adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy. The combination of 2 HER2-active agents targeting different subdomains of HER2 (pertuzumab targets subdomain II and trastuzumab targets subdomain IV) may provide a more comprehensive blockade of the HER2 protein and its pathways and, thus, may lead to greater treatment effect.