European Commission approves Roche’s Tecentriq as adjuvant treatment for a subset of people with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Rhea-AI Summary

On June 9, 2022, Roche received approval from the European Commission for Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as an adjuvant treatment for adults with high-risk non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following surgery and chemotherapy. This approval marks Tecentriq as the first cancer immunotherapy approved in Europe for early-stage NSCLC. In the Phase III IMpower010 trial, Tecentriq demonstrated a 57% reduction in the risk of disease recurrence or death, making it a significant advancement in lung cancer treatment. Roche plans further studies to analyze overall survival data.

Positive

• Approval of Tecentriq for early-stage NSCLC enhances treatment options in Europe.
• 57% reduction in disease recurrence or death risk demonstrated in Phase III IMpower010 trial.

Negative

• None.

• In the Phase III IMpower010 trial, adjuvant Tecentriq reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 57% in people with PD-L1 high resected Stage II-III NSCLC, compared with best supportive care
• Tecentriq is now the first and only cancer immunotherapy available for certain people with early-stage NSCLC in Europe
• Today’s approval marks Tecentriq’s sixth lung cancer indication in Europe
  
  

Basel, 09 June 2022 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the European Commission has approved Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) as an adjuvant treatment, following complete resection and platinum-based chemotherapy, for adults with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a high risk of recurrence* whose tumours express PD-L1≥50% and who do not have EGFR mutant or ALK-positive NSCLC.

“Today’s approval represents an important advance, as Tecentriq becomes the first cancer immunotherapy approved in Europe for the treatment of certain types of early-stage NSCLC,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “Since approximately half of all people with early NSCLC develop recurrence after surgery, which in some cases is no longer curable, treating this cancer at an earlier stage offers the best chance to prevent recurrence.”

This approval is based on results from an interim analysis of the Phase III IMpower010 study. The results showed treatment with Tecentriq, following complete resection and platinum-based chemotherapy, reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death (DFS) by 57% (hazard ratio [HR]=0.43, 95% CI: 0.26-0.71)** in people with resected Stage II-IIIA NSCLC (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) whose tumours express PD-L1≥50%, who do not have EGFR mutant or ALK-positive NSCLC, compared with best supportive care (BSC).¹ A DFS benefit was consistently seen across most subgroups including histology or stage of disease with adjuvant Tecentriq, compared with BSC. Overall survival (OS) data for patients with PD-L1 high resected Stage II-III NSCLC, and who do not have EGFR mutant or ALK-positive disease are immature and were not formally tested at the DFS interim analysis, however, a trend towards OS improvement with Tecentriq was seen, with a stratified HR of 0.39 (95% CI: 0.18-0.82).²

Follow-up will continue with planned analyses of more mature OS data later this year. Safety data for Tecentriq were consistent with its known safety profile and no new safety signals were identified.¹

“Today’s approval now offers patients in Europe, whose tumours express high levels of PD-L1, the opportunity to reduce their risk of disease recurrence following surgery and chemotherapy,” said Professor Enriqueta Felip, Head of the Thoracic Cancer Unit at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain. “This milestone reinforces the need for biomarker testing at diagnosis for all people with NSCLC, irrespective of disease stage, to ensure they receive optimal treatment.”

To date, Tecentriq has been approved in 19 countries, including the US and China, as adjuvant treatment, following complete resection and chemotherapy, for adults with Stage II-IIIA NSCLC (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) whose tumours express PD-L1≥1%. In three countries, including Canada and the UK, Tecentriq has been approved as adjuvant, treatment following complete resection and chemotherapy, for adult patients with Stage II-IIIA NSCLC (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) whose tumours have PD-L1 expression on ≥50% of tumour cells.

Tecentriq has shown clinically meaningful benefit in various types of lung cancer, with six currently approved indications in countries around the world. It was the first approved cancer immunotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in combination with carboplatin and etoposide (chemotherapy). Tecentriq also has four approved indications in advanced or metastatic NSCLC as either a single agent or in combination with targeted therapies and/or chemotherapies. Tecentriq is available in three dosing options, providing the flexibility to choose administration every two, three or four weeks.

Roche has an extensive development programme for Tecentriq including multiple ongoing and planned Phase III studies across lung, genitourinary, skin, breast, gastrointestinal, gynaecological, and head and neck cancers. This includes studies evaluating Tecentriq both alone and in combination with other medicines, as well as studies in metastatic, adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings across various tumour types.

About the IMpower010 study
IMpower010 is a Phase III, global, multicentre, open-label, randomised study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Tecentriq compared with BSC, in participants with Stage IB-IIIA NSCLC (UICC/AJCC 7th edition), following surgical resection and up to 4 cycles of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The study randomised 1,005 people with a ratio of 1:1 to receive either Tecentriq (up to 16 cycles) or BSC. The primary endpoint is investigator-determined DFS in the PD-L1-positive Stage II-IIIA, all randomised Stage II-IIIA and intention-to-treat (ITT) Stage IB-IIIA populations. Key secondary endpoints include overall survival in the overall study population, ITT Stage IB-IIIA NSCLC.

About lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death globally.³ Each year 1.8 million people die as a result of the disease; this translates into more than 4,900 deaths worldwide every day.³ Lung cancer can be broadly divided into two major types: NSCLC and SCLC. NSCLC is the most prevalent type, accounting for around 85% of all cases.⁴ Approximately 50% of patients with NSCLC are diagnosed with early-stage (Stages I and II) or locally advanced (Stage III) disease.⁴ Today, about half of all people with early lung cancer still experience a cancer recurrence following surgery^.5 Treating lung cancer early, before it has spread, may help prevent the disease from returning and provide people with the best opportunity for a cure.

About Tecentriq
Tecentriq is a cancer immunotherapy approved for some of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of cancer. Tecentriq was the first cancer immunotherapy approved for the treatment of a certain type of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tecentriq is also approved in countries around the world, either alone or in combination with targeted therapies and/or chemotherapies, for various forms of metastatic NSCLC, certain types of metastatic urothelial cancer, PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma.

Tecentriq is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with a protein called programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), which is expressed on tumour cells and tumour-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7.1 receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Tecentriq may enable the activation of T-cells. Tecentriq is a cancer immunotherapy that has the potential to be used as a foundational combination partner with other immunotherapies, targeted medicines and various chemotherapies across a broad range of cancers. In addition to intravenous infusion, the formulation of Tecentriq is also being investigated as a subcutaneous injection to help address the growing burden of cancer treatment for patients and healthcare systems.

About Roche in lung cancer
Lung cancer is a major area of focus and investment for Roche, and we are committed to developing new approaches, medicines and tests that can help people with this deadly disease. Our goal is to provide an effective treatment option for every person diagnosed with lung cancer. We currently have six approved medicines to treat certain kinds of lung cancer and more than ten medicines being developed to target the most common genetic drivers of lung cancer or to boost the immune system to combat the disease.

About Roche in cancer immunotherapy
Roche’s rigorous pursuit of groundbreaking science has contributed to major therapeutic and diagnostic advances in oncology over the last 50 years, and today, realising the full potential of cancer immunotherapy is a major area of focus. With over 20 molecules in development, Roche is investigating the potential benefits of immunotherapy alone, and in combination with chemotherapy, targeted therapies or other immunotherapies with the goal of providing each person with a treatment tailored to harness their own unique immune system to attack their cancer. Our scientific expertise, coupled with an innovative pipeline and extensive partnerships, gives us the confidence to continue pursuing the vision of finding a cure for cancer by ensuring the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.

In addition to Roche’s approved PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), Roche’s broad cancer immunotherapy pipeline includes other checkpoint inhibitors, such as tiragolumab, a novel cancer immunotherapy designed to bind to TIGIT, individualised neoantigen therapies and T-cell bispecific antibodies.

To learn more about Roche’s scientific-led approach to cancer immunotherapy, please follow this link: http://www.roche.com/research_and_development/what_we_are_working_on/oncology/cancer-immunotherapy.htm

About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.

In recognizing our endeavor to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.

Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.

For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

References
*Stage II-IIIA (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) / selected Stage II-IIIB per 8th edition
**Unstratified HR; the SmPC includes the stratified HR of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.29-0.81)²

[1] Felip E, et al. Atezolizumab vs best supportive care in Stage II-IIIA NSCLC with high PD-L1 expression: sub-analysis from the pivotal Phase III IMpower010 study. Presented at European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2022.
[2] Tecentriq Summary of Product Characteristics [Internet; cited June 2022]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/html/h1220.htm
[3] Yano T, et al. Therapeutic strategy for postoperative recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. World J Clin Oncol. 2014;5(5):1048-1054.
[4] World Health Organization: GLOBOCAN 2020 – Lung Cancer: Estimated cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence worldwide. [Internet; cited May 2022] Available from: https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf.
[5] American Cancer Society: What Is Lung Cancer? [Internet; cited May2022]: Available from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/about/what-is.html.

Roche Group Media Relations
Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com

Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 61 687 41 47	Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 61 682 28 31
Nina Mählitz Phone: +41 79 327 54 74	Nathalie Meetz Phone: +41 79 771 05 25
Dr. Barbara von Schnurbein Phone: +41 61 687 89 67	Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48

Roche Investor Relations 

Dr. Bruno Eschli Phone: +41 61 68-75284 e-mail: bruno.eschli@roche.com	Dr. Sabine Borngräber Phone: +41 61 68-88027 e-mail: sabine.borngraeber@roche.com
Dr. Birgit Masjost Phone: +41 61 68-84814 e-mail: birgit.masjost@roche.com	Dr. Gerard Tobin Phone: +41 61 68-72942 e-mail: gerard.tobin@roche.com

Investor Relations North America

Loren Kalm Phone: +1 650 225 3217 e-mail: kalm.loren@gene.com

 

Attachment

• 06092022_MR_IMpower010 EU Approval_en

FAQ

What does the European Commission's approval of RHHBY's Tecentriq mean for lung cancer treatment?

The approval allows Tecentriq to be used as an adjuvant treatment for high-risk non-small cell lung cancer, making it the first cancer immunotherapy for early-stage NSCLC in Europe.

What were the results of the IMpower010 trial for RHHBY's Tecentriq?

In the IMpower010 trial, Tecentriq reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 57% in patients with resected Stage II-III NSCLC expressing PD-L1≥50%.

How many lung cancer indications does RHHBY's Tecentriq have in Europe?

Tecentriq now has six lung cancer indications approved in Europe.

What is the significance of RHHBY's Tecentriq being the first immunotherapy approved for early-stage NSCLC?

This approval allows for earlier intervention in lung cancer treatment, potentially improving outcomes for patients with high-risk disease.