From the Research
Phesgo is typically administered once every three weeks (21 days) as a subcutaneous injection. The administration frequency of Phesgo, a fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab, is based on the results of several clinical trials, including the FeDeriCa study 1, which demonstrated non-inferiority of the subcutaneous formulation compared to intravenous pertuzumab plus trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.
Key Points
- The initial loading dose takes about 8 minutes to administer, while subsequent maintenance doses take approximately 5 minutes.
- The complete treatment course with Phesgo usually lasts for one year (18 cycles) for early breast cancer patients, though this may vary based on individual treatment plans.
- For metastatic breast cancer, treatment may continue until disease progression or unmanageable toxicity occurs.
- Phesgo combines pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase in a single injection, targeting HER2-positive breast cancer by blocking the HER2 protein that promotes cancer cell growth.
- This fixed-dose combination offers the advantage of shorter administration time compared to traditional intravenous infusions of the same medications.
- Patients should be monitored for potential side effects, including cardiac dysfunction, as these medications can affect heart function.
- Regular cardiac assessments are typically performed throughout treatment, as supported by studies such as the phase II trial of pertuzumab and trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer 2.
- The development of a subcutaneous fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab has been reported in studies such as the phase Ib dose-finding study 3, which aimed to identify an SC pertuzumab dose given with recombinant human hyaluronidase that results in comparable exposure to that of the intravenous pertuzumab dose.
- The most recent study, published in 2024, provides an overview of the pharmacological properties and clinical development of PHESGO, a fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and vorhyaluronidase alfa for subcutaneous injection 4.
Administration Details
- The administration of Phesgo is typically performed by a healthcare professional.
- Patients should be monitored for signs of injection site reactions, such as redness, swelling, or pain.
- The treatment course with Phesgo may be adjusted based on individual patient response and tolerability.
- As reported in the study published in 2021, the fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab for subcutaneous injection can be administered in approximately 5-8 minutes 5.