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 Roche said on Monday it will submit overall and progression-free
survival data in hepatocellular carcinoma to U.S., European and
Chinese regulators in hopes of a speedy approval. The study compared
Tecentriq and Avastin with sorafenib, the generic name for Bayer's
Nexavar.
Tecentriq's revenue, while growing, pales in comparison to Keytruda
from Merck and Opdivo from Bristol-Myers Squibb, doctors' go-to
immunotherapies for lucrative areas such as non-small cell lung
cancer.
But Roche's drug is gaining a foothold against smaller targets
including triple-negative breast cancer, where it has a head start
on its competitors.
The combination is "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", said Levi
Garraway, Roche's new chief medical officer, without disclosing the
specific survival benefit for Tecentriq and Avastin.
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Roche emphasized the importance of approval in China, where some
studies show liver cancer's prevalence is higher than elsewhere and
which may account for 50% of annual new cases globally.
Roche's Chinese sales have accelerated this year, rising more than
50% through the first three quarters and underpinning the company's
move last week to lift its 2019 outlook again.
"This is an opportunity for Roche to continue its expansion in Asia,
and especially in China," Zuercher Kantonalbank analyst Michael
Nawrath said in a note to investors.
(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)
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