Roche reports positive blood cancer drug trial data

Roche has reported positive data from the phase III trial CLL11, which has demonstrated the benefits that its drug GA101 can offer in the treatment of a common form of blood cancer.

An interim analysis of the study showed that GA101 plus chlorambucil helped patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia live longer without their disease worsening than Roche's established product MabThera/Rituxan.

GA101 is the first type II anti-CD20 medicine to be glycoengineered, meaning that specific sugar molecules within the compound have been modified to change its interaction with the body's immune cells.

Marketing authorisation applications for the new product were submitted to US and European regulators in April 2013.

Dr Hal Barron, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development, said: "It is important to explore the potential of this medicine in other types of blood cancer and our broad development programme includes studies in aggressive and indolent lymphoma that compare GA101 with MabThera/Rituxan."

Earlier this month, the company received a conditional European marketing approval for Erivedge, its new therapy for advanced basal cell carcinoma.