Swiss biotechnology major Roche has launched two new medicines in India for treating breast cancer that seek to increase longevity for patients and improve their quality of life. The drug maker is also taking steps to ensure the medicines are easily available to those in need. The new drugs, ‘Perjeta’ and ‘Kadcyla’, have been shown to both extend survival and improve quality of life in their approved applications for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.
Roche has a unique Patient Support Program, The Blue Tree, which is a comprehensive programme and aims to support patients all through their journey from diagnosis till treatment completion. With its targeted breast cancer medicine Herclon (globally known as Herceptin), Roche has helped transform the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer over the last several years in India. Roche Products (India) Private Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Switzerland based Roche Group and has products in therapeutic areas such as oncology, virology, transplantation, anemia and rheumatoid arthritis.
Breast Cancer
- Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women (afterlung cancer). Today, about 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop breastcancer in her lifetime
- The majority of breast cancer cases are “sporadic,” meaning there is no direct family history of the disease.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
- Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple.
- A change in shape or position of the nipple
- Lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle.
- An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast.
- A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.
Do You Know?
All people, whether male or female, are born with some breast cells and tissue. Even though males do not develop milk-producing breasts, a man’s breast cells and tissue can still develop cancer.
Test Your GK
The World Cancer Day is observed on
What was the theme of World Cancer Day 2015?
