Roche presents preliminary combination data for anti-PDL1 medicine (MPDL3280A) with Avastin (bevacizumab)

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has announced the first combination data of its investigational cancer immunotherapy MPDL3280A and Avastin in untreated patients with mRCC.  Roche also presented monotherapy data for MPDL3280A in patients with mRCC who had been mostly pretreated. In addition, encouraging combination data were observed in a variety of other tumour types including metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). MPDL3280A was well tolerated both as a single agent and in combination.  

Results from the phase Ib study showed that the combination of MPDL3280A and Avastin was well tolerated and shrank tumours (ORR) in 40 percent (4/10) of people with previously untreated mRCC.  Furthermore, preliminary data with monotherapy show that in pretreated mRCC, patients who had levels of PD-L1 expression (IHC1/2/3) were more likely to respond to MPDL3280A versus patients with no detectable expression of PD-L1 (IHC 0), 20 percent (n=35) versus 10 percent (n=21) respectively. The overall response rates for these patients was 15 percent (n=62).

“These data in renal cell carcinoma are encouraging and add weight to the growing body of evidence that supports the use of MPDL3280A in multiple tumour types,” said Sandra Horning, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and head of Global Product Development. “Moreover, these data encourage us to further examine the benefits of pursuing combination therapies with MPDL3280A in appropriate clinical settings.” 

The primary objectives of these phase 1 cohort groups were safety and tolerability, with secondary objectives including ORR and duration of response (DOR).(1),(2) Full results of these data sets will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress in Madrid (Abstract #10490, Saturday, September  27, 11:15am, Barcelona Room & Abstract 8090, Monday, September  29, 11:30am, Sevilla Room).