BRIEF—Chugai debuts Tecentriq in Japan for NSCLC

Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical has launched Tecentriq (atezolizumab, an intravenous Infusion) recombinant humanized anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, (1200 mg) for the treatment of “unresectable advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), marking the debut of the PD-L1 class in Japan’s lung cancer space.

Tecentriq received a manufacturing and marketing approval on January 19, 2018, and was listed on the National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement price list yesterday, said Chugai, which is majority-owned by Swiss pharma giant Roche.

“Cancer immunotherapy is expected to be a breakthrough therapy which may significantly change cancer treatment. As our mission is to deliver innovative therapeutic drugs to patients, it is a great pleasure for us to finally being able to launch Tecentriq,” said Chugai’s president and chief executive Tatsuro Kosaka.

“We will continue our research and development activities in multiple cancer types and combination therapies to realize sustained therapeutic effects and improvement of survival rate, as well as cure in more patients with cancer,” he added.

In Japan, the annual prevalence of lung cancer is estimated to be around 128,700 in 2017 (male: 86,700, female: 42,000). The annual mortality of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths (the second leading cause in women) in Japan, is approximately 78,000 (male: 55,600, female: 22,400; predicted figure for 2017).