Blow to Roche's cancer immunotherapy prospects as 2nd trial fails

The development of new cancer immunotherapy pioneered by Roche was thrown in doubt on Wednesday when its drug tiragolumab failed to slow the progression of lung cancer in a second trial.

The development of new cancer immunotherapy pioneered by Roche was thrown in doubt on Wednesday when its drug tiragolumab failed to slow the progression of lung cancer in a second trial. In a study, a combination of tiragolumab and Roche's established Tecentriq drug did not reduce the rate of disease progression in newly diagnosed cases of advanced non-small cell lung cancer when compared to a comparative group of patients on Tecentriq only.

That was after the Swiss drugmaker said in March the drug failed to slow the progression of a different, more aggressive form of lung cancer. The new setback will likely give pause to a range of rival pharmaceutical companies working on similar compounds in a class of drugs known as anti-TIGIT in a race where Merck & Co has been seen as closest behind Roche.

Gilead Sciences last November exercised an option to collaborate with Arcus Biosciences on the anti-TIGIT drug domvanalimab. GlaxoSmithKline in June 2021 struck a licensing deal worth up to $2 billion with iTeos Therapeutics Inc over an anti-TIGIT candidate.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Agenus Inc are collaborating on a drug under a May 2021 partnership. Coherus BioSciences in January exercised an option to license a drug candidate by Shanghai Junshi Biosciences for the U.S. and Canadian markets.

 

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