Roche's Tecentriq combo approved in China for liver cancer

Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) today announced that the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have not received prior systemic therapy.

In February this year, the NMPA approved Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) for the first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

“Today’s approval of Tecentriq in combination with Avastin for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma means that people in China now have a cancer immunotherapy option which is changing the treatment landscape for this aggressive disease,” said Dr Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development. “With almost half of the world’s hepatocellular carcinoma cases diagnosed in China, this approval marks a major advance for Chinese patients,” he added.

Tecentriq already a blockbuster and growth driver for Roche