New breast cancer drug boosts survival rates, Mayo Clinic reports

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with Eli Lilly, have found that the drug abemaciclib significantly improves survival rates for individuals with high-risk, early-stage breast cancer.

The study found that adding abemaciclib (Verzenio) to endocrine therapy reduced death risk by 15.8% compared to endocrine therapy alone. The study involved over 5,600 patients across 38 countries, all with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer, a subtype that makes up 70% of breast cancers.

"This is the first therapy to significantly prolong survival for this patient population in over two decades," said Dr. Matthew Goetz, a breast medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We are not only s