Policy & Regulation
Tecentriq and Avastin Plus Chemotherapy Doubles PFS Compared to Avastin Plus Chemo in Advanced NSCLC
8 December 2017 - - South San Francisco, California-based biotechnology company Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has released results from the positive Phase III IMpower150 study of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) plus chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) in people with previously untreated, advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the company said.
The study showed that people who received Tecentriq and Avastin plus chemotherapy had a 38% reduced risk of their disease worsening or death (progression-free survival, PFS) compared with those who received Avastin plus chemotherapy (median PFS = 8.3 vs. 6.8 months).
A doubling of the 12-month landmark PFS rate was observed with the combination of Tecentriq and Avastin plus chemotherapy (37%) compared to Avastin plus chemotherapy (18%).
The rate of tumor shrinkage (overall response rate, ORR), a secondary endpoint in the study, was higher in people treated with Tecentriq and Avastin plus chemotherapy compared with Avastin plus chemotherapy (64% vs. 48%).
The safety profile of the Tecentriq and Avastin plus chemotherapy combination was consistent with the safety profiles of the individual medicines, and no new safety signals were identified with the combination.
Avastin, in addition to its anti-angiogenic effects, may further enhance Tecentriq's ability to restore anti-cancer immunity, by inhibiting VEGF-related immunosuppression, promoting T-cell tumor infiltration and enabling priming and activation of T-cell responses against tumor antigens.
Tecentriq is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind to the PD-L1 protein that is expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7.1 receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Tecentriq may enable the re-activation of T cells.
Avastin is a biologic antibody designed to specifically bind to vascular endothelial growth factor and to interfere with the tumor blood supply by preventing interactions with receptors on blood vessel cells. The tumor blood supply is thought to be critical to a tumor's ability to grow and metastasize.
Genentech discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. Lung cancer is a major area of focus and investment for the company which currently has four approved medicines to treat certain kinds of lung cancer, and more than 10 medicines being developed to target the most common genetic drivers of lung cancer or to boost the immune system to combat the disease.
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