1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Strategy

Roche's Post-Avastin Strategy Stumbles As Vanucizumab Fails In Phase II

 
• By Lucie Ellis-Taitt

Roche's development plans for a follow-on Avastin product have been called into question after the company noted briefly in its third-quarter earnings update that the drug failed in a Phase II study in colorectal cancer patients.

Blockbuster Avastin (bevacizumab) is one of Roche's best-selling drugs – producing sales of CHF5.1bn for the first nine months of the year – but the company's plans to develop a second-generation version, known as vanucizumab, have faltered in Phase II.

Roche has not reported data from the Phase II study of vanucizumab in colorectal cancer, nor has it said if development of the compound as a monotherapy has been ceased, but it confirmed a Phase II trial for the compound failed to meet endpoints

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Strategy

More from Business

Industry Makes Its Case To Trump In Effort To Sidestep Tariffs

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Pharmaceutical industry organizations offered alternatives to tariffs that could maintain a secure domestic supply chain in public comments filed in response to a 232 investigation.

Copycats Compound Novo’s Wegovy Growth Problems

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

The US FDA has ordered compounders of the Danish firm's obesity drug semaglutide to shut up shop later this month, but competition from Eli Lilly is only increasing.

Stock Watch: Market Optimism Outshines Q1 Currency And Tariff Woes

 
• By Andy Smith

The weak US dollar helped some companies reporting first-quarter results and hindered others reporting in stronger currencies. But even the impacts of currencies and Medicare modernization on first-quarter revenues were overlooked when an end to the trade wars seemed possible.