Roche’s Tecentriq/Avastin combo smashes endpoints at Phase 3 in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
pharmafile | October 21, 2019 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Cancer, Roche, immunotherapy, pharma, tecentriq
New Phase 3 data has emerged demonstrating the efficacy of Roche’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who have not received prior systemic therapy.
The results, drawn from a trial of 501 unresectable HCC patients, showed that the pair of drugs met the trial’s co-primary endpoints, generating “statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements” in both overall survival and progression-free survival compared to Nexavar (sorafenib), the current standard of care.
“We are very pleased with the results of our study testing the combination of Tecentriq and Avastin, which marks the first treatment in more than a decade to improve overall survival in people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who have not received prior systemic therapy,” commented Dr Levi Garraway, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “HCC is a major cause of death globally and particularly in Asia, making this study an important step in our mission of addressing unmet medical needs for patients around the world. We will submit these data to global health authorities as soon as possible. Our hope is to bring a new treatment to people with this aggressive disease who currently have limited options.”
The combo is under review in the US under the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy designation, granted in July 2018 on the back of Phase 1b trial data.
Matt Fellows
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