Puma slides on neratinib data

Puma Biotechnology Inc. (NYSE:PBYI) fell $19.37 (25%) to $57.06 on Monday on Phase II data for the company's neratinib (PB272) for HER2-positive breast cancer in patients with brain metastases and concerns about prospects of neratinib as an adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. In the Phase II TBCRC 022 trial, once-daily oral neratinib led to three partial responses in a cohort of 40 HER2-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastases. There were four cases of stable disease for six months or greater and 12 cases of stable disease for less than six months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 1.9 months and median overall survival (OS) was 8.7 months. All patients had received prior radiotherapy.

Data were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. The trial, which was sponsored by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is enrolling two additional cohorts of HER2-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastases. ...