Avastin plus Tarceva, gemcitabine misses endpoint

Roche (SWX:ROG) said Avastin bevacizumab plus Tarceva erlotinib and gemcitabine missed the primary endpoint of a significant improvement in overall survival vs. Tarceva plus gemcitabine alone in the Phase III AVITA trial (BO17706) to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer. ROG plans to present full data from the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 607 patients at a future conference. Last year, Avastin plus gemcitabine as a first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer missed the primary endpoint of overall survival in the Phase III CALGB 80303 trial (See BioCentury Extra, Tuesday, June 27, 2006). ...