Experimental drug could transform breast cancer care

Roche’s experimental oral drug giredestrant improved disease-free survival after breast cancer surgery in an interim late-stage trial, the company said.

A scheduled interim analysis found the pill delivered a clinically meaningful improvement in keeping patients disease-free after surgery, outperforming standard endocrine therapy. Disease-free survival means the cancer has not returned after treatment.

Roche announced the results on Tuesday and said further details will be shared at a forthcoming medical conference as it moves towards regulatory approval.

The prospect of curbing the spread of early-stage disease to other parts of the body lifted Roche’s shares by 6.1 per cent to 304.90 Swiss francs at 9.39am GMT.

JPMorgan analysts called the update a “significant positive surprise” and estimated that, if approved, this use could generate about US$5bn a year.

Some investors have worried Roche leans too heavily on older blockbusters, even as the family-controlled group pushes into the fast-growing obesity market and seeks to diversify beyond oncology.

Giredestrant is an oral selective oestrogen receptor degrader (SERD), a class designed to break down the oestrogen receptor and inhibit tumours that grow in response to the hormone. Such cancers are estimated to make up as much as 80 per cent of breast cancer cases.

Rivals are also targeting this space. AstraZeneca is developing camizestrant, while Sanofi’s efforts in oral SERDs have failed.