Has been approved in Europe for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in combination with hormonal therapy, Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG announced Thursday.

Herceptin was approved for the treatment of postmenopausal patients with HER2 and hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer, Roche said in a statement.

Herceptin, given by injection, is an antibody-based drug designed to target tumour cells and spare normal cells, unlike chemotherapy, which is toxic throughout the body.

The approval is based on data from an international late stage clinical trial, which showed the addition of Herceptin to hormonal therapy doubled the median progression-free survival time.

Herceptin is already approved in Europe for the treatment of early and metastatic, or advanced, HER2-positive breast cancer.

The new approval means its use can be extended, in combination with hormonal therapy for advanced breast cancer.