UCLA researchers have played a significant role in the development of several major cancer drugs now used worldwide. Their work, much of it conducted through the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has contributed to therapies that have helped millions of patients.
One notable advance is Herceptin (trastuzumab), developed in the 1990s by a team led by Dr. Dennis Slamon at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The drug was created to target HER2-positive breast cancer at a molecular level. “(W)e wanted to try and study the cancer cell at a molecular level … identify what was broken and find out if we could target that specifically,” Slamon previously told UCLA Health. “The hope would be if we could target that specifically, we’d come up with something that was hopefully more effective and safer because normal cells wouldn’t have what was broken, only the cancer cells.” Since its introduction in 1998, Herceptin has been used globally for treating HER2-positive breast cancer.
In prostate cancer treatment, Xtandi (enzalutamide) and Erleada (apalutamide) were developed by UCLA professor Michael Jung and Dr. Charles Sawyers. According to Jung, “The phase 3 clinical trial found that Erleada gives men an extra two years of healthy life before their cancer spreads. To give someone an extra two years of healthy life is fabulous.” Both drugs have become important options for advanced-stage prostate cancer since their respective approvals.
Ibrance (palbociclib), another breakthrough involving UCLA researchers led by Slamon and Dr. Richard Finn, has changed care for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and HER2-negative breast cancers. Their research led to approval for use in combination with hormonal therapy and established CDK4/6 inhibitors as standard care for advanced ER+/HER2- breast cancers.
Gleevec (imatinib) resulted from foundational work by UCLA’s Dr. Owen Witte on tyrosine kinase enzymes related to chronic myelogenous leukemia symptoms. This discovery informed further research leading to Gleevec’s development—the first targeted therapy for certain leukemias—which received FDA approval in 2001.
Kisqali (ribociclib) also traces back to research led by Slamon on cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors’ effectiveness against HR-positive breast cancers. Clinical trials showed ribociclib extended time without recurrence in early-stage disease, resulting in FDA approval in September 2024.
Keytruda (pembrolizumab), originally with limited uses, saw expanded application due in part to studies led by UCLA’s Dr. Antoni Ribas on advanced melanoma and Dr. Edward Garon on lung cancer patients—leading to FDA approvals for these indications in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Cyramza (ramucirumab) gained FDA approval after international clinical trials including those at UCLA demonstrated its benefit for lung cancer patients who had exhausted other treatments. “It is exciting to see that by adding ramucirumab (Cyramza) to docetaxel, patients were able to live longer than those who were treated with the standard approach,” Garon said at the time. “We are pleased to have access to a drug that lengthens survival time in a population of lung cancer patients who often have few treatment options.”
These advances underscore ongoing efforts at UCLA aimed at improving outcomes for people facing various forms of cancer.
