Herceptin®

Understanding Herceptin®
Herceptin® (trastuzumab) is a prescription medicine indicated, in specific treatment settings and regimens, for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Patients should be selected for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for Herceptin®. Herceptin® is a HER2/neu receptor antagonist administered by intravenous infusion. Trastuzumab is a recombinant DNA-derived humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively binds with high affinity in a cell-based assay to the extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (HER2). Trastuzumab inhibits the proliferation of human tumor cells that overexpress HER2.

How Herceptin® Works:

• Targets the HER2 receptor: Herceptin® contains trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively binds with high affinity to the extracellular domain of the HER2 protein.
• Binds HER2-overexpressing tumor cells: Trastuzumab specifically targets HER2, a receptor that is overexpressed in certain cancers for which Herceptin® is indicated.
• Inhibits tumor-cell proliferation: Trastuzumab inhibits the proliferation of human tumor cells that overexpress HER2 in vitro.
• Demonstrates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC): In vitro assays of ADCC indicate that trastuzumab-mediated immune effector activity is preferentially exerted on HER2-overexpressing cancer cells compared with cancer cells that do not overexpress HER2.

FDA Approval:

For more information, please visit the Herceptin® patient website. Speak with your healthcare provider to determine if Herceptin® is the right treatment option for you.