- Tecentriq in combination with Avastin is the first and only cancer immunotherapy regimen approved for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer

- The Tecentriq combination improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared with sorafenib in people with unresectable HCC

- Approval by the China National Medical Products Administration brings a new treatment option to HCC patients in China, where almost half of all cases worldwide are found

Basel - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) for the treatment of people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have not received prior systemic therapy.

"Today's approval of Tecentriq in combination with Avastin for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma means that people in China now have a cancer immunotherapy option which is changing the treatment landscape for this aggressive disease", said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. "With almost half of the world's hepatocellular carcinoma cases diagnosed in China, this approval marks a major advance for Chinese patients."

"In China, primary liver cancer ranks as the fourth most common malignancy and is the second leading cause of cancer death. With most patients diagnosed at the intermediate and advanced stages where surgery or other locoregional therapies are not an option, there is an urgent need for effective treatments for unresectable HCC", said Prof. Shukui Qin, Leading Principal Investigator of the IMbrave150 study in China and Chairman of the Liver Cancer Expert Committee of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO). "The IMbrave150 study demonstrated that the combination of Tecentriq and Avastin in this setting can significantly improve outcomes for patients. It is truly gratifying news that the combination is now approved in China and gives a new option to Chinese liver cancer patients."

Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in China, accounting for nearly 400,000 diagnoses and approximately 368,000 deaths every year, equivalent to over 1,000 per day.1 Only 20% of people with HCC in China are diagnosed in the early stages, when curative treatments are still an option.2 The average 5-year survival rate for people in China with liver cancer is only approximately 15%.3 Roche is committed to tackling liver disease right across the disease journey, from the earliest stages through to advanced disease, with the ultimate goal of one day stopping chronic liver disease.

The approval was based on results of the Phase III IMbrave150 study, which included analyses of a cohort of Chinese patients (n=194) from the same study. Data from this cohort were consistent with the global results. Among Chinese patients, Tecentriq in combination with Avastin reduced the risk of death (overall survival; OS) by 56% (hazard ratio [HR]=0.44; 95% CI: 0.25-0.76) and reduced the risk of disease worsening or death (progression-free survival; PFS) by 40% (HR=0.60; 95% CI: 0.40-0.90), compared with sorafenib. Tecentriq and Avastin were generally well-tolerated with manageable toxicities, and the safety profile was consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines and with the underlying disease.

Global results from the IMbrave150 study demonstrated that Tecentriq in combination with Avastin reduced the risk of death (OS) by 42% (HR=0.58; 95% CI: 0.42-0.79; p=0.0006) and reduced the risk of disease worsening or death (PFS) by 41% (HR=0.59; 95% CI: 0.47-0.76; p

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