Roche says Tecentriq, chemo cut risk of death in type of lung cancer

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's (ROG.S) immunotherapy Tecentriq plus chemotherapy cut the risk of disease worsening or death in advanced squamous lung cancer, but it did not yet show an overall survival benefit in this tough-to-treat disease, the Swiss drugmaker said Tuesday.

A late-stage study, called IMpower131, demonstrated that Tecentriq combined with carboplatin and Abraxane boosted progression-free survival (PFS), compared with chemotherapy alone, in patients getting initial treatment.

So far, however, the cocktail did not boost overall survival (OS), the length of time patients diagnosed with a disease remain alive, compared to chemotherapy. That is considered the gold standard when assessing a drug's effectiveness.

The trial will continue as planned, Roche said, adding it is looking forward to more-mature data in hopes its immunotherapy combination eventually demonstrates it keeps people alive longer than standard regimens.

IMpower131 is among eight Roche trials of Tecentriq, either alone or combined with other drugs, against lung cancer that the Basel-based company is counting on to help its immunotherapy gain ground against more-established rival drugs from Merck (MRK.N) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N).

"There have been limited new treatment options over the last few decades," said Sandra Horning, Roche's chief medical officer. "We will share the IMpower131 results with global health authorities and we look forward to seeing more mature overall survival data."

The IMpower131 study compares two different Tecentriq combinations -- one with Abraxane and one with another form of chemotherapy called paclitaxel -- against chemotherapy.

The combination with Abraxane must demonstrate an overall survival benefit before Roche can begin comparing the Tecentriq-paclitaxel combination with chemotherapy, according to the way the trial is designed.

(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)