Dr. Shah on the Trastuzumab Biosimilar in Gastric Cancer

Manish A. Shah, MD, Bartlett Family Associate Professor Gastrointestinal Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College and associate attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the use of trastuzumab (Herceptin) biosimilars in gastric cancer.

The trastuzumab biosimilar goes after a proven target, Shah explains . It is already known that inhibiting HER2 signaling with trastuzumab is effective in gastric and gastroesophageal junction tumors that overexpress HER2. A biosimilar will do the same thing at a reduced cost, which helps patients avoid financial toxicity, says Shah.

Additionally, there is a biosimilar available for bevacizumab (Avastin) for colorectal cancer. Across gastrointestinal malignancies, biosimilars are going to have an important impact, concludes Shah.