Roche drug filed for lung cancer treatment

The treatment of the most common type of cancer in the world ? lung cancer ? has taken a step forward with the news that Roche and Genentech have filed the drug Avastin for use.

A phase III trial that involved 878 patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found that those treated with a 15mg/kg dose of Avastin every three weeks ? in addition to paclitaxel and carboplatin ? had a 25 per cent overall survival improvement.

“The benefits seen in the Avastin study are significant and we look forward to the potential of bringing new hope to the patients who are diagnosed with this specific type of lung cancer,” said Ed Holdener, head of Roche Pharmaceuticals Development.

“We are committed to working with regulatory authorities around the world in order to make it available to patients suffering from lung cancer as soon as possible.”

Currently, the drug has been filed for use in the treatment of NSCLC in the US with the Food and Drug Administration, but last year it was approved in Europe for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum.

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