Roche Breast Cancer Pill Cuts Risk of Return by 30% in Study
(Bloomberg) — Roche Holding AG’s experimental pill reduced the risk of an invasive return of a form of breast cancer in a study that underscores the drug’s blockbuster potential.
Patients adding the medicine, giredestrant, to their regimen after surgery were 30% more likely to live without the disease recurring compared with others just taking existing treatments, the Swiss drugmaker said Wednesday. The data stemmed from an intermediate look at a late-stage clinical trial, building on details the company released last month.
Roche shares rose as much as 3.8% on the report, reversing earlier losses, amid optimism about the treatment’s promise. The company is racing against AstraZeneca Plc in targeting the most common form of breast cancer with a daily pill that can offer a simpler, effective treatment option for patients — a market it estimates is worth about $15 billion.
“What these data suggest is that giredestrant can become a new standard-of-care endocrine therapy,” Roche Chief Medical Officer Levi Garraway said in an interview before the data is presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Wednesday.
Roche shares have gained about 26% so far this year, less than those of Astra, which is due to report findings for a rival medicine next year.
The Roche trial enlisted patients with estrogen-driven breast cancer. After three years, 92% of patients taking giredestrant were alive and free of invasive disease, compared with just under 90% in the control group. Data on a key measure, overall patient survival, were immature but Roche reiterated that there was a clear positive trend.
Treat Early
The drug appears to work best in patients treated early, when tumors still depend on estrogen to grow, according to Garraway. That’s different from advanced disease, where years of therapy can change how tumors behave. Because the pill doesn’t show some of the visual side effects seen with some rival drugs, Roche said it could be easier to use for long stretches of time.
Giredestrant belongs to a class of drugs known as selective oestrogen receptor degraders, or SERDs. The trial data last month helped drive Roche shares to their strongest month in more than two decades and lifted the company’s market value above $300 billion.
Roche is also testing giredestrant in combination with other widely used breast-cancer medicines. A larger study in women with advanced cancer who haven’t yet been treated is expected to show results next year.
The drugmaker plans to take the new results to regulators in the US, Europe and other major markets as quickly as possible, Garraway said. Roche intends to file broadly rather than stagger submissions, he said, adding that the timeline isn’t being shaped by pricing or commercial strategy.
In recent months, US President Donald Trump has put pressure on major pharmaceutical companies to bring down drug prices in the US. Unlike Pfizer Inc. or Astra, Roche has not yet announced a deal with the White House.
(Updates with share reaction from third paragraph)
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