Roche’s long-stuttering attempt to bring the cancer drug candidate ipatasertib to market has run out of steam. After multiple clinical setbacks, the Swiss pharma giant has dropped (PDF) a phase 3 prostate cancer trial—and sent its acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) prospect packing at the same time.
The cuts include the Akt kinase inhibitor ipatasertib, also known as RG7440, which the company is removing from a phase 1 trial for prostate cancer, as well as a separate early-stage trial in combination with Rubraca for solid tumors and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that has spread.
Swiss major Roche is dumping a series of cancer, autoimmune and respiratory drugs in mid-to-late stage tests.
Roche has shared phase 3 data on the drug that enhanced the efficacy of Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga in a subset of prostate cancer patients earlier this year. The trial squeezed under the bar for statistical significance by improving on the median progression-free survival (PFS) of Zytiga by two months.
Charity organisation Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) has launched two research teams to support clinical trials involving patients with breast or prostate cancer.
Roche has announced results from a Phase Ib trial assessing its AKT-inhibitor ipatasertib, Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), showing a 73% overall response rate irrespective of PD-L1 status.
Fresh from having gained the first checkpoint inhibitor approval in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) with Tecentriq, Roche has presented phase 1b data of a new combination that could further boost results in these patients.