financial news: short excerpts/overview from article: Avastin- UPDATE 3-Roche's Avastin fails in prostate cancer study (see comments ovarian)

UPDATE 3-Roche's Avastin fails in prostate cancer study
Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:35am EST


* Treatment doesn't prolong life in late stage patients prostate cancer patients (combination therapy phase 111)

* Some adverse effects seen, already noted in other trials

* Follows recent ovarian cancer success and gastric failure

By Martin de Sa'Pinto and Ben Hirschler

"ZURICH/LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG's (ROG.VX) Avastin did not help men with late stage prostate cancer live longer in a clinical trial, marking another setback for the Swiss group as it tries to extend use of the blockbuster drug into new areas.

The miss in prostrate cancer, announced on Friday, follows similar disappointment last month with Avastin in gastric cancer but success in ovarian cancer. (note: GOG trials prior blog postings)

Oliver Kaemmerer, an analyst at WestLB, said he was likely to revise down his 2014 sales forecast for Avastin of 9.8 billion francs to nearer 9 billion, given that ovarian cancer was the only new opportunity now left available.


The new uses of the drug, however, are seen as higher risk than existing ones and Roche had already warned at the time of full-year results that it was quite likely not all of the three new trials for Avastin would be successful.


It is not alone in finding that modern targeted cancer treatments do not seem to work for all tumours. Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) reported on Thursday that its cancer drug Sutent had failed tests in breast cancer.

WATCHING ASCO

Roche plans to give further details on recent clinical trials with Avastin at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting later this year.

"The ASCO conference in June will be important to understand if the positive news in ovarian cancer can outweigh the disappointments in gastric and now prostate cancer," said Deutsche analyst Tim Race."