Roche 'disappointed' with trial results for colitis drug

[August 10, 2020]  ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding's experimental drug etrolizumab did not fare well in late-stage clinical trials in treating people with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the Swiss drugmaker said https://bit.ly/33KLTqS on Monday.

"Mixed results were seen in studies evaluating etrolizumab as an induction therapy, and both studies evaluating etrolizumab as a maintenance therapy failed to meet their primary endpoints, showing no significant difference in the proportion of people achieving remission with subcutaneous etrolizumab versus placebo," it said.

"We are disappointed with these results, because we know that people with ulcerative colitis need new treatment options," said Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development. A phase III study of etrolizumab in Crohn's disease continued.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; editing by Thomas Seythal)

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.