Roche's combo of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) plus chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) has been shown to lead to a progression-free survival rate of 37 percent in patients with previously untreated advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is a doubling of the 12-month landmark PFS rate compared to just Avastin plus chemotherapy (18 percent).

The Phase III IMpower150 study also showed that the rate of tumour shrinkage, a secondary endpoint in the study, was also higher in people treated with Tecentriq and Avastin plus chemotherapy compared with Avastin plus chemotherapy (64 percent vs. 48 percent).

“This Tecentriq study is the first positive Phase III combination trial that showed a cancer immunotherapy reduced the risk of the disease getting worse when used as an initial treatment in a broad group of people with advanced non-squamous NSCLC,” said Sandra Horning, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “The IMpower150 study represents an important advance in lung cancer treatment, and we will submit these results to regulatory authorities around the world to potentially bring a new standard of care to people living with this disease as soon as possible.”