Phase II study supports potential for Genentech’s Tecentriq plus Avastin for people with mRCC

Study showed that people whose disease expressed PD-L1 and were treated with Tecentriq plus Avastin had a 36% reduction in the risk of their disease worsening

The study showed that people whose disease expressed PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) and were treated with Tecentriq plus Avastin had a 36% reduction in the risk of their disease worsening or death compared to people treated with sunitinib alone. No PFS advantage was observed compared to sunitinib in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Median duration of response (DoR) has not yet been reached after 20.7 months of follow-up across treatment arms. Adverse events in the Tecentriq plus Avastin arm were consistent with those observed in previous studies of each medicine.

“These Phase II results support the scientific rationale for potentially combining Tecentriq and Avastin in people with this type of kidney cancer,” said Sandra Horning, chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. “There is a significant need for new treatment options for people living with advanced RCC, a disease where currently only about one in 10 people are alive beyond 5 years following diagnosis.”

Genentech is also evaluating Tecentriq plus Avastin compared to sunitinib in a Phase III study in people with previously untreated, locally advanced or metastatic RCC. A study of Tecentriq as adjuvant treatment for RCC began enrolling earlier this year.