LOS ANGELES, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A late-stage trial found that combining Genentech Inc's Avastin with its cancer pill Tarceva, which is co-marketed with OSI Pharmaceuticals , extended the time patients with advanced lung cancer lived without the disease getting worse, Genentech said on Monday.
The news sent shares of OSI up 10.6 percent after the closing bell, while Genentech shares rose 2 percent.
Genentech said the trial was stopped early after an interim analysis found that combining Avastin, known generically as bevacizumab, and Tarceva, or erlotinib, significantly extended the time patients lived without their disease advancing.
Avastin, given by injection, is designed to cut off the blood supply to tumors. Tarceva, an oral pill, acts by a different mechanism to inhibit cancer cell growth.
An earlier study, Saturn, showed Tarceva delayed disease progression when given as a single agent immediately following treatment with chemotherapy, compared to placebo.
In this latest trial, called Atlas, patients were initially treated with Avastin plus chemotherapy followed by the addition of Tarceva to Avastin in the maintenance phase.
Genentech and Switzerland's Roche Holding, which markets Avastin and Tarceva overseas, said in October that another study of the combined therapies did not show an increase in overall survival, compared with Tarceva alone.
But the companies said that trial too showed an increase in the time patients lived without their disease getting worse as well as the better response rate for the treatment combination.
'We plan to discuss these data with the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to determine next steps,' Hal Barron, Genentech's senior vice president, development and chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Roche, the world's largest maker of cancer drugs, wants to buy Genentech, which is already majority-owned by Roche. An initial $89 per share bid was rejected by Genentech in mid-August and Roche last week said it planned to take a lower $86.50 per share offer directly to shareholders.
Shares of OSI, which closed at $36.39 on Nasdaq, were trading at $40.23 after hours. Genentech shares, which closed at $82.10 on the New York Stock Exchange, were higher at $83.70. Keywords: OSI/TARCEVA (Reporting by Deena Beasley; Editing by Bernard Orr, deena.beasley@thomsonreuters.com; 1-213-955-6746; Reuters Messaging: deena.beasley.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The news sent shares of OSI up 10.6 percent after the closing bell, while Genentech shares rose 2 percent.
Genentech said the trial was stopped early after an interim analysis found that combining Avastin, known generically as bevacizumab, and Tarceva, or erlotinib, significantly extended the time patients lived without their disease advancing.
Avastin, given by injection, is designed to cut off the blood supply to tumors. Tarceva, an oral pill, acts by a different mechanism to inhibit cancer cell growth.
An earlier study, Saturn, showed Tarceva delayed disease progression when given as a single agent immediately following treatment with chemotherapy, compared to placebo.
In this latest trial, called Atlas, patients were initially treated with Avastin plus chemotherapy followed by the addition of Tarceva to Avastin in the maintenance phase.
Genentech and Switzerland's Roche Holding, which markets Avastin and Tarceva overseas, said in October that another study of the combined therapies did not show an increase in overall survival, compared with Tarceva alone.
But the companies said that trial too showed an increase in the time patients lived without their disease getting worse as well as the better response rate for the treatment combination.
'We plan to discuss these data with the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to determine next steps,' Hal Barron, Genentech's senior vice president, development and chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Roche, the world's largest maker of cancer drugs, wants to buy Genentech, which is already majority-owned by Roche. An initial $89 per share bid was rejected by Genentech in mid-August and Roche last week said it planned to take a lower $86.50 per share offer directly to shareholders.
Shares of OSI, which closed at $36.39 on Nasdaq, were trading at $40.23 after hours. Genentech shares, which closed at $82.10 on the New York Stock Exchange, were higher at $83.70. Keywords: OSI/TARCEVA (Reporting by Deena Beasley; Editing by Bernard Orr, deena.beasley@thomsonreuters.com; 1-213-955-6746; Reuters Messaging: deena.beasley.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.