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

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...