Roche announces successful pivotal trial for experimental lung cancer drug

Swiss pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche announced Thursday that its experimental lung cancer treatment divarasib met key goals in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial involving patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The company said the drug performed better than existing treatments sotorasib and adagrasib in patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer carrying the KRAS G12C mutation.

According to Roche, patients treated with divarasib lived longer without their disease worsening, while early results also pointed to improved overall survival.

Detailed survival data will be released at a future medical conference.

The company said no new safety concerns were identified during the Phase III Krascendo 1 study, adding that the side effects seen during the trial were manageable and reversible.

Roche is also testing divarasib in two other late-stage studies.

The Krascendo 2 trial is evaluating the drug as an initial treatment in combination with pembrolizumab, while Krascendo 3 is studying its use after surgery and chemo-immunotherapy treatment.