Sun Pharma (including its subsidiaries and/or associate companies) announced the launch of Palbociclib, a novel anti-cancer drug, in India for patients with advanced breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the country. The drug will be marketed under the brand names PALENOTM (Palbociclib) 75 mg, 100 mg, and 125 mg.
Sun Pharma stated “We are introducing Palbociclib at a low cost in order to improve patient access. PALENOTM will be used to treat several advanced breast cancer patients in India. We are introducing a novel patient assistance programme for the first time, which will improve patient compliance and accessibility.”
Palbociclib is approved for use in combination with hormonal therapies for patients with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer by the USFDA, EMA, and CDSCO.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in India, with approximately 0.21 million new female patients diagnosed each year. Approximately half of all patients have hormone receptor positive breast cancer, the most common subtype of breast cancer. Although patients with hormone receptor positive breast cancer have a higher survival rate than other subtypes, they may progress to or present with metastatic disease.