Roche’s Tecentriq Achieves Phase III Goals in Lung Cancer Study

A Phase III study of Tecentriq immunotherapy met its primary endpoints by showing improvements in overall survival, regardless of PD-L1 status, when compared with docetaxel chemotherapy in locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

The study evaluated the intent-to-treat population of patients whose disease progressed on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy, as well as a subgroup selected for PD-L1 expression. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, progression-free survival, and duration of response. Tecentriq (atezolizumab) is a PD-L1 inhibitor marketed by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

The global, open-label trial enrolled 1,225 patients that received either docetaxel (75 mg/m2 intravenously) or Tecentriq (1200 mg intravenously) every three weeks. PD-L1 expression was assessed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating cells with an investigational immunohistochemistry test based on the SP142 antibody being developed by Roche Tissue Diagnostics.