Eribulin (Halaven): a new, effective treatment for women with heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer

Abstract

J Menis1, C Twelves21Department of Oncology, University Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy; 2Leeds Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Leeds and St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UKAbstract: Although metastatic breast cancer remains essentially incurable, many patients previously treated with an anthracycline, taxane, and capecitabine are relatively fit and keen to receive further therapy. Several drugs are used in this setting, but with little evidence of clinically relevant benefit, and none have previously shown improved survival. Eribulin (Halaven®) is a nontaxane tubulin-binding agent with a novel mode of action, and was recently approved by the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Agency as a single agent for patients with heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer. This review provides an overview of the discovery, and preclinical and clinical development of eribulin, culminating in the recently published EMBRACE metastatic breast cancer study.Keywords: eribulin, metastatic breast cancer, pretreated