Roche celebrates European approval of Tecentriq combo in first-line lung cancer

pharmafile | September 6, 2019 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing Cancer, Europe, Roche, lung cancer, pharma, tecentriq 

Roche has confirmed that its immunotherapy Tecentriq (atezolizumab) has been approved in Europe in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) for the first-line treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

Phase 3 data submitted in support of the application showed that the Tecentriq combo “helped people live significantly longer compared with chemotherapy alone”, improving median overall survival by 12.3 months compared to 10.3 months with chemotherapy alone in the intent-to-treat population.

Additionally, the combo was also successful in reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 5.2 months, compared to 4.3 months with chemotherapy alone.

“This approval makes Tecentriq the first cancer immunotherapy available in Europe for the initial treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, marking an important step forward for patients,” said Sandra Horning, MD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “The combination of Tecentriq and chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival compared to the current standard-of-care – an advance that, until now, has been difficult to achieve due to the refractory nature of this disease.”

Roche is currently Tecenetriq in nine different Phase 3 lung cancer studies, whether as a monotherapy or as part of a combination.  

Matt Fellows

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