The first patient has been dosed in the randomization phase of the DESTINY-Ovarian01 phase 3 trial evaluating ENHERTU® (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in combination with bevacizumab versus bevacizumab monotherapy as first-line maintenance therapy in patients with HER2 expressing (IHC 3+/2+/1+) advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer following treatment with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab. DESTINY-Ovarian01 is being conducted in collaboration with the European Network of Gynecological Oncological Trial Groups (ENGOT), with the Spanish cooperative group (GEICO) as the lead ENGOT group, The GOG Foundation Inc. (GOG-F) and Asia-Pacific Gynecologic Oncology Trials Group (APGOT). ENHERTU is a specifically engineered HER2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN).
The prognosis for patients with ovarian cancer is poor with an estimated five-year survival rate of 31.8% for those with advanced disease.1 Approximately 70% to 80% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer (Stage 3 or 4) will experience disease recurrence following standard treatment with surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.2 Maintenance therapy may be given to delay relapse and current recommended treatment strategies include bevacizumab or PARP inhibitor monotherapy or bevacizumab/PARP inhibitor combination treatment, depending on the biomarker status of the tumor.3 There currently are no HER2 directed medicines approved as maintenance therapy despite HER2 expression being present in up to 55% of ovarian cancers.
