Glaxo tests Tykerb vs Herceptin in early cancer

LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Monday it had initiated a Phase III clinical study comparing its drug Tykerb against Herceptin in the treatment of early breast cancer.

The trial will evaluate the rate at which cancer cells disappear in the breast following treatment with Tykerb and/or Herceptin before surgery in women with early-stage breast cancer whose tumours overexpress the HER2 protein.

Last year, Europe's biggest drugmaker started a similar trial assessing the two competing drugs when used after surgery.

Tykerb is not yet approved for early use. It has so far only been cleared in certain markets for treating metastatic cancer, when given in combination with Roche's (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Xeloda.

Europe's biggest drugmaker hopes it will also prove effective in the bigger early-stage setting, increasing its competitive position against Genentech's (DNA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) established blockbuster Herceptin.

Tykerb is given as a pill, making it more convenient than Herceptin, which must be injected.

Glaxo is conducting the new study in collaboration with the Breast International Group, an academic research network, and the Spanish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group. The aim is to enrol 450 patients at 130 clinical trial centres in 26 countries. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by Will Waterman)