AstraZeneca's Enhertu Shows Promise for Broader Breast Cancer Use

Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. (Reuters)
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AstraZeneca's Enhertu Shows Promise for Broader Breast Cancer Use

Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. (Reuters)

AstraZeneca said its Enhertu cancer drug has been shown to significantly help women suffering from a type of breast cancer that leaves them with poor treatment options, opening the door to a much larger potential patient group.

AstraZeneca, which is working on the drug with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, said on Monday that Enhertu prolonged survival and slowed the progression of metastatic breast cancer with low levels of a protein known as HER2.

The improvement was "clinically meaningful" when compared with standard chemotherapy, it said, adding that detailed trial results would be presented at an as-yet undisclosed medical conference.

While the study was limited to low-HER2 patients whose tumors had spread to other parts of the body, analysts have said a positive trial read-out could portend future use at an earlier stage of the disease with potentially hundreds of thousands of new eligible patients per year.

AstraZeneca has predicted a decline in sales of its widely used COVID-19 vaccine this year.

However, brisk revenue growth from new cancer drugs has prompted analysts to rank the Anglo-Swedish company as one of the world's fastest growing major pharma groups.

Enhertu belongs to a promising class of therapies called antibody drug conjugates (ADC), which are engineered antibodies that bind to tumors cells and then release cell-killing chemicals.

AstraZeneca secured rights to the Daiichi Sankyo compound three years ago in a deal worth up to $6.9 billion, challenging the world's biggest cancer drug maker, Roche.

Enhertu has since been shown to help women with breast cancer characterized by high levels of HER2, a cell receptor that leads to uncontrolled tissue growth, when compared to Roche's ADC drug Kadcyla. This led to initial market approvals in late 2019.

Astra's drug is also being tested against gastric, lung and colorectal cancers.



Santorini Seismic Activity Down But Schools Stay Shuttered

A tourist takes a photo at the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 22, 2025. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou
A tourist takes a photo at the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 22, 2025. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou
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Santorini Seismic Activity Down But Schools Stay Shuttered

A tourist takes a photo at the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 22, 2025. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou
A tourist takes a photo at the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 22, 2025. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou

Seismic activity on the Aegean Sea hotspot of Santorini has been "decreasing" over recent days but schools will remain closed for another week, according to authorities on the Greek island.

Thousands of earthquakes, mainly of a low magnitude, have been recorded between Santorini and Amorgos, islands in the Cyclades group southeast of the Greek mainland. They have yet to cause either casualties or significant damage but have worried authorities and residents.

"Seismic activity in the maritime region between Thira (Santorini) and Amorgos is decreasing," the ministry of civil protection said in a press release late Saturday following a meeting with the national commission of seismologists.

According to AFP, the ministry attributed the activity to a combination of tectonic movement and deep magmatic activity.

The region has not experienced a phenomenon of such magnitude since records began in 1964, experts say.

Located where the African and Anatolian tectonic plates converge, the Aegean Sea is often hit by earthquakes.

Known for its spectacular volcanic caldera, a large depression that forms when a volcano erupts and collapses, Santorini is also part of a volcanic arc with two underwater volcanoes near to its coast, Nea Kameni and Kolumbo, which last erupted in 1950 and 1650 respectively.

Authorities put the level of seismic activity inside the caldera as similar to recent days, noting a decrease in the rate of local ground deformation.

The ministry aid preventative measures would remain in force, urging residents to be alert to the risk of landslides.

Schools will meantime remain closed until Friday on Santorini and the nearby islands of Ios, Anafi and Amorgos while a ministerial assessment meeting will be held Thursday.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in Santorini and Amorgos at the start of February for a month, with schools closing while a majority of Santorini residents elected to leave the island, which saw 3.4 million visitors in 2023, leading to complaints of over-tourism.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently announced a support package for local businesses and workers on the island, one of Greece's most popular tourism destinations.