(Reuters) – Seattle Genetics Inc’s add-on therapy for a type of breast cancer that has progressed despite prior treatments has won earlier-than-expected approval, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.
The oral therapy, Tukysa, will have a wholesale acquisition cost or list price of $18,500 for a 30-day supply of the pills, administered twice daily, Seattle Genetics said.
The list price is not necessarily what patients actually pay and “out-of-pocket” costs vary based on the duration of the treatment and individual healthcare plans.
Tukysa, chemically known as tucatinib, is approved to be used in combination with Roche Holding AG’s Herceptin and Xeloda in patients whose cancer has worsened or spread despite multiple rounds of treatment. (https://bit.ly/3bdXdN4)
Seattle Genetics said it would go ahead with the launch of Tukysa and rely on virtual and digital communication channels to promote the therapy amid the coronavirus outbreak that has disrupted pharma companies’ operations.
(Reporting by Saumya Sibi Joseph and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
