- Data from the first positive phase III study of a cancer immunotherapy in early, resected lung cancer
- Studies in personalised healthcare exploring tumour agnostic treatments that demonstrate the impact of coupling biomarker testing with targeted therapies to develop individualised treatment plans
- New data, and drug combination strategies for the treatment of lymphoma from the largest haematology portfolio in industry
Basel, 11 May 2021 – Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that new data from clinical trials of 19 approved and investigational medicines across 20 cancer types will be presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, which will be held 4-8 June, 2021. A total of 132 abstracts that include a Roche medicine will be presented at this year’s meeting. These data advance oncology by showing the importance of making patient-centric treatment decisions and providing tailored medical care based on specific cancer types.
“We will be presenting data from across our diverse oncology portfolio that has the potential to help more people living with many types of cancers,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “We are particularly excited about our compelling immunotherapy data in lung cancer, which may provide new hope for patients with earlier stage disease.”
Focusing on earlier treatment and targeted lung cancer care
Positive results from the phase III IMpower010 study will be presented that show Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) improved disease-free survival (DFS) in people with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to best supportive care – a first in cancer immunotherapy. This advance is significant, as half of all people with early stage lung cancer today still experience a recurrence following surgery; therefore, treating lung cancer early, before it has spread, can provide the best opportunity for a cure. Additionally, updated data for Gavreto® (pralsetinib) in patients with advanced RET fusion-positive NSCLC, including in patients who are treatment naïve, will be reported. These data highlight the need for early RET fusion-positive testing to identify candidates who may benefit from treatment with Gavreto.
Exploring personalised cancer care for more patients
Roche will present several studies that take tumour-agnostic approaches to clinical development, and in breast cancer, that may benefit people with rare and common tumours alike. These studies bring together next-generation sequencing, targeted therapies and patient-centric clinical trial design that show how personalised treatment plans are helping to evolve the way people are treated. The phase II ALPHA-T study, made possible through a collaboration with Foundation Medicine and Science37, is pioneering a decentralised approach to clinical trial design which enables patients to participate from their own homes while remaining under the care of their oncologist. The phase II TAPISTRY study, a platform umbrella trial, will pair patients with immunotherapy, targeted therapy or treatment combinations based on distinct tumor biology characteristics. The similarly designed phase II MyTACTIC study is enrolling a diverse population of patients to direct them to appropriately targeted treatments based on the results of comprehensive genomic profiling.
With our research we are contributing to the body of evidence in hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer, the most prevalent type of all breast cancers. For giredestrant, a third generation oral selective oestrogen receptor degrader (SERD), we will present data further supporting the tolerable safety profile and single agent clinical activity, as well as pharmacodynamics data from studies in HR-positive early and metastatic breast cancer.
Defining new solutions for patients with difficult-to-treat blood cancer
New and updated data in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) will be shared, including data from the T-cell engaging CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody development programme. Glofitamab and mosunetuzumab are both T-cell engaging CD20xCD3 bispecific antibodies that are being studied as single agents or in combination with other Roche therapies. Together, they may offer a new immunotherapy based approach to tackle a range of blood cancers. In addition, data exploring novel combinations with mosunetuzumab and Polivy® (polatuzumab vedotin), an antibody drug conjugate, will also be featured. These data demonstrate how Roche continues to seek new solutions for people living with a range of malignant blood disorders, where treatment options are still limited and both relapse and treatment resistance are common.
Furthermore, Roche’s data showcase a commitment to health equity through medicine delivery approaches that reduce treatment time and cost, trial designs that help remove barriers to clinical trial participation, pioneering cancer immunotherapy to improve outcomes for earlier disease stages, and a focus on inclusivity through developing tumour-specific therapies and therapy combinations based on specific characteristics of each person’s disease.
Roche will be launching an Oncology Newsroom for journalists to access exclusive materials sharing insights into Roche’s latest data, vision and strategy to pursue and advance scientific progress in order to improve the lives of people living with cancer. The newsroom will be available on Tuesday 1 June, and is open to journalists from outside the United States.
