Roche Halts Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Trial in Latest Setback

Roche has decided to halt its lung cancer immunotherapy trial, marking another significant setback in their ongoing efforts to advance cancer treatment. The decision comes after the trial failed to meet desired outcomes, impacting the company's strategy in developing new therapies for lung cancer. This move highlights the challenges faced in the field of cancer immunotherapy and may influence future research directions and clinical approaches in combating this aggressive disease.

Boston Brand Media brings you the latest news - Roche (ROG.S) will terminate a lung cancer trial of its new immunotherapy after the drug failed to outperform Merck & Co’s (MRK.N) established treatment, Keytruda, raising further concerns about the Swiss company's drug candidate.

The trial, known as SKYSCRAPER-06, is being discontinued because tiragolumab, when combined with another drug, did not slow disease progression or extend survival compared to a combination including Keytruda, Roche announced on Thursday.

Prospects for the drug had already been dimmed in 2022 when it did not slow disease progression in a different lung cancer patient group. Survival results from that trial are anticipated later this year.

Boston Brand Media also found that, Roche shares dropped 2.3% to a three-week low in early trading.

"We believe that the market could discount any remaining potential" for the drug, JP Morgan analysts noted.

Tiragolumab belongs to a new class of drugs called anti-TIGIT, which has drawn interest from various rival drug developers.

"These results are disappointing as we had hoped this combination would provide better outcomes for people with metastatic non-squamous lung cancer," Chief Medical Officer Levi Garraway said in a statement.

Roche stated it would assess any necessary changes to its ongoing tiragolumab program.

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Source: Reuters‍