Phase III study shows promise of Roche's Tecentriq in specific type of lung cancer

Roche (ROG: SIX) today announced positive results for the Swiss pharma giant’s first cancer immunotherapy medicine, Tecentriq (atezolizumab), from the Phase III study, OAK.

The study met its co-primary endpoints and showed a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with docetaxel chemotherapy in people with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease progressed on or after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. Adverse events were consistent with what has been previously observed for Tecentriq. Roche says it looks forward to presenting full results at an upcoming medical meeting in 2016.

“These results add to the growing body of evidence that supports the role of Tecentriq as a potential new treatment for specific types of advanced NSCLC,” said Sandra Horning, chief medical officer and head of global product development, adding: “This is very encouraging news for people living with this disease because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths around the world. We hope to bring this treatment option to patients as soon as possible.”