With Avastin on board, Tecentriq improves overall survival in HCC

Roche’s Tecentriq is the first checkpoint inhibitor to show a statistically significant survival benefit in the hard-to-treat indication of hepatocellular carcinoma. Unlike the other compounds, the anti-PD-L1 mAb was combined with a VEGF inhibitor to gain a survival advantage over standard-of-care Nexavar sorafenib.

Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQB:RHHBY) and its Genentech Inc. unit announced on Monday that the combination of Tecentriq atezolizumab and Avastin bevacizumab met the co-primary endpoints of an improvement in medial overall survival (OS) and median progression-free survival (PFS) vs. Nexavar in first-line metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The margin of OS and PFS benefit in the Phase III IMbrave150 trial of 501 patients was not disclosed but the company plans to present data at an upcoming medical meeting. The combination regimen has breakthrough designation for the indication...