Roche wins drug discovery accolade for Gazyvaro

Roche has been presented with the British Pharmacological Society's drug discovery of the year accolade for its leukaemia therapy Gazyvaro.

Also known as obinutuzumab, the drug was approved in Europe for use in specific groups of patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, based on its positive performance in clinical trials.

Data from a pivotal study showed that Gazyvaro plus chlorambucil was able to significantly reduce the risk of disease worsening or death by 61 percent, compared to MabThera/Rituxan plus chlorambucil.

The team of scientists at Roche responsible for obinutuzumab has been praised for its "deep understanding" of the pharmacology of the compound at every stage of the development process.

Gazyvaro is the first in a new class of drugs, being the first glycoengineered type 2 anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for use in Western markets.

Professor Humphrey Rang, president of the British Pharmacological Society, said: "There have been major advances in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia over the past decade but the disease remains incurable and a significant number of patients die every year."