(Seattle Genetics Photo)

Seattle Genetics today announced FDA approval for its drug Tukysa, also known as tucatinib, which fights aggressive breast cancers.

Tucatinib is a daily pill that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2, a protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells and is found in around 20 percent of breast cancers. The FDA approved the use of tucatinib in combination with chemotherapy for patients who have received one or more prior treatments. It costs an average of $111,000 per patient, FiercePharma reported.

“We recognize that patients with cancer constitute a vulnerable population at risk of contracting the coronavirus disease,” Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, said in a statement. “In this critical time, we remain steadfast in our commitment to patients with cancer and doing everything we can to expedite oncology product development. Tukysa was approved four months prior to the FDA goal date, providing an example of this commitment and showing how our regular work in reviewing treatments for patients with cancer is moving forward without delay.”

Tucatinib was originally developed by Cascadian Therapeutics, which sold to Seattle Genetics for $614 million at the start of 2018.

It’s the company’s third marketed product; its other drugs are Adcetris, a drug for lymphoma cancers, and Padcev, a drug for metastatic urothelial cancer.

Shares of Seattle Genetics were up Friday but down more than 7 percent in after-hours trading. The Seattle-area company’s stock has risen more than 40% since mid-March.

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