New Roche Data To Be Presented At ASCO Offers Further Hope For Cancer Patients

Patients with breast or colorectal cancer, two of the world's most common
cancers, can expect further treatment advances with Avastin(R) (bevacizumab)
and Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab) following new data that is being presented at
the 44th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in
Chicago at the end of May. Around 30,000 medical experts will attend the
meeting which is the premier event for cancer therapy worldwide.


The Roche data will show that Avastin and Herceptin are continuing to
offer further hope of improving survival in patients with cancers that are
still devastating thousands of lives each year.


Breast cancer



- Avastin: Late-breaking Phase III data from the AVADO study
investigating Avastin in combination with docetaxel (docetaxel, also
known as Taxotere, is one of the most commonly used chemotherapies for
breast cancer) will highlight the encouraging efficacy and safety results
in patients treated first-line for locally recurrent or metastatic HER-2
negative breast cancer.



- Herceptin: New results using Herceptin-based therapy for patients with
aggressive HER-2 positive breast cancer will also be unveiled. The GBG26
study data will focus on the importance of continued treatment with
Herceptin in women with advanced metastatic breast cancer whose disease
progressed on a Herceptin-based therapy.



- Pertuzumab: Very promising phase II data will be presented on the
investigational drug pertuzumab which will highlight the benefits that
pertuzumab in combination with Herceptin could offer to patients with
advanced breast cancer. Pertuzumab is the first of a new, innovative
class of targeted agents known as HER dimerisation inhibitors that can
inhibit cancer cell growth and ultimately lead to death of cancer cells



Colorectal cancer



- Avastin: The first presentation of data from Avastin-based
therapy with or without cetuximab (a drug which attacks cancer
differently to Avastin) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
will be shared.



- Avastin: Impressive long-term overall survival data at two
years, involving some 4,000 patients treated with Avastin first-line in
combination with a variety of chemotherapy regimens will confirm the
pivotal role that Avastin is now playing in patients with advanced
colorectal cancer. The results of the studies are significant because
over 50 percent of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer currently die
of the disease and these data show that improvements in survival are
achievable. (1)















Roche will present nearly 300 abstracts and posters at ASCO that
demonstrate advances in other major cancers, as well as the data already
described above in breast and colorectal. With one of the most comprehensive
oncology research and development pipelines in the industry, Roche is
striving to deliver even more treatment options in the fight against cancer.
For example, Avastin's clinical trial program includes 40,000 patients
worldwide.


Full details of key Roche data presentations will be available on Friday
30th May at an invitation-only media event for non-US journalists. All
abstracts are available at: asco/ASCO/Meetings.


Notes



- Breast Cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, eight
to nine percent of women will develop this cancer during their
lifetime.(1) Each year more than one million new cases of breast cancer
are diagnosed(2) with a death rate of over 500,000 people per year.(3)



- Avastin doubles the chance of a patient living without their disease
advancing (progression free survival). When used in combination with
taxanes (chemotherapy), Avastin substantially increases the efficacy of
treatment with limited impact on safety. Studies show that continual
direct VEGF inhibition with Avastin maximizes the treatment benefit for
the patient.


- Herceptin is a humanised antibody specifically designed to target and
block the function of HER2, which causes fast growing, aggressive breast
cancer tumours. Herceptin delivers high cure rates for women with HER2
positive early breast cancer and extends survival across all stages of
HER2 positive breast cancer by activating the immune system and
suppressing HER2. Herceptin is considered the foundation of care in women
with HER2-positive breast cancer and is recommended in treatment
guidelines throughout the world.



- Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in developed countries(4)
and the second most common cause of death from cancer across all cancer
types in men and women across Europe.(5)



- Avastin acts by blocking VEGF, the key mediator of tumor angiogenesis,
offering patients a better chance of significantly improved survival.
Avastin is the first anti-angiogenic inhibitor to increase survival in
first and second line treatment and to provide significant improvements
in the time that patients can live without their disease advancing.


The 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting takes place from May 31 to June 3, McCormick
Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Full details can be found at
asco.


References



1. Wilking N and Jonsson B. A Pan-European comparison regarding patient
access to cancer drugs. Karolinska Institute in collaboration with
Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, 2005



2. World Health Organisation (WHO) 2003.
See here.



3. World Health Organisation,
Projections of mortality and burden of
disease to 2030



4. Parkin DM. Estimating the world cancer burden: GLOBOCAN 2000. Int. J
Cancer 2001; (94): 153-156



5. Boyle P, Ferlay J. Cancer incidence and mortality in Europe, 2004.
Annals of Oncology 2005; 16:481-488


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View drug information on Avastin; Herceptin; Taxotere.