Roche’s Avastin shows brain cancer benefits in clinical study

Roche has published new clinical trial data that demonstrates the benefits its drug Avastin can provide for glioblastoma patients.

Data from the phase III trial AVAglio showed that Avastin plus radiation and temozolomide chemotherapy is able to deliver significant improvements in progression-free survival rates among newly diagnosed brain cancer sufferers.

This means the drug met one of the two co-primary endpoints of the study, with results for the other endpoint of final overall survival to be published in 2013.

Roche plans to discuss these new findings with the relevant regulatory authorities, including the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration.

Dr Hal Barron, chief medical officer and head global product development for Roche, said: "This study showed that people with glioblastoma, a particularly devastating and aggressive cancer without many treatment options, lived significantly longer without their disease worsening when Avastin was added to radiation and temozolomide chemotherapy."

In June 2012, the company published data from two phase III trials that demonstrated Avastin's efficacy among ovarian and metastatic colorectal cancer patients.