TYKERB© (lapatinib ditosylate monohydrate) – Comparative data have shown that Lapatinib based regimens are less effective than Herceptin© (trastuzumab) based regimens in certain settings

GlaxoSmithKline would like to notify healthcare professionals of important study results concerning the efficacy of TYKERB^©. Two recent trials have shown statistically significant superior efficacy of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy as compared to lapatinib in combination with chemotherapy. This effect was observed in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer regardless of whether they had previously received trastuzumab; however, the effect was more pronounced in the patients who had no prior exposure to trastuzumab. Healthcare professionals are reminded that TYKERB^© in combination with capecitabine is to be used in patients with advanced or metastatic disease with progression following prior therapy which must have included trastuzumab in the metastatic setting.

Only abstracts of the Dear Healthcare Professional Letters (DHCPL) are provided on this website. Details of these letters can be found in the MOH Alert System, which is accessible via the Health Professionals Portal (HPP), a one-stop portal for all healthcare professionals in Singapore. Dentists, medical doctors and pharmacists may access HPP at https://hpp.moh.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab) and follow the procedures below to access the MOH Alert system.

Step 1: Select your profession under ‘For Healthcare Professionals’.

Step 2: Click on ‘Useful links’.

Step 3: Click on ‘MOH Alert’ and log in via Singpass.

Step 4: Click on ‘Drug Alerts’ or ‘Med Device Alerts’ to view the DHCPLs.