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VIEW ALL NEWSTarceva extends lung cancer survival
ZURICH (Reuters) - Tarceva improved the survival of patients with advanced lung cancer when used immediately after initial chemotherapy, Roche Holding AG said on Monday.
"Detailed data are not yet available, but delivering an overall survival benefit is well ahead of expectations," said JP Morgan analyst Geoff Meacham.
Treating patients immediately following first-line chemotherapy versus waiting for the cancer to grow or spread before giving additional treatment represents a new approach in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Roche said.
Data from a late-stage study called SATURN showed Tarceva (erlotinib) met a key secondary target, showing a statistically significant improvement in overall survival. Full data will be presented at a lung cancer conference in San Francisco, which starts July 31.
"We have made no changes to our estimates, but this new data reinforces our view of Tarceva's approval and commercial potential," Sal Oppenheim analysts said.
Tarceva is already approved to treat pancreatic cancer in the United States and EU.
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