Roche’s Tecentriq/Avastin combo improves survival in liver cancer

Roche is planning to present updated data confirming that its immunotherapy combination, consisting of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab), improves overall survival (OS) in patients with a type of liver cancer.

The OS data is from the Phase III IMbrave150 study, evaluating Tecentriq plus Avastin compared to sorafenib, in people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have not received prior systemic therapy.

An updated analysis – conducted after a median follow-up of 15.6 months – found that Tecentriq plus Avastin reduced the risk of death by 34%, with a median OS of 19.2 months, compared with 13.4 months for sorafenib.

The primary analysis from the Imbrave150 study showed that after 8.6 months follow-up, Tecentriq plus Avastin reduced the risk of death (OS) by 42%.

“These results show that Tecentriq in combination with Avastin provides the longest survival that we’ve ever seen in a front-line Phase III study in unresectable HCC,” said Levi Garraway, chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development, Roche.

“The combination, which has now been approved in more than 60 countries around the world, represents a significant treatment advancement for patients with this challenging malignancy,” he added.

The Tecentriq/Avastin combination is already approved in a number of jurisdictions, including in the US, China, Japan and EU for people with unresectable HCC.

HCC is an aggressive form of cancer that currently has limited treatment options, with over 815,000 people worldwide diagnosed with this cancer type each year.

It develops predominantly in people with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis (B or C) or alcohol consumption and often presents at an advanced stage.