Dive Brief:
- The cancer immunotherapy R&D race between Roche, BMS and AstraZeneca is heating up as Roche aggressively plans to move 11 drugs into late-stage trials by the end of the year.
- The candidate furthest along in development is MPDL3280A, which is being tested in several different cancer types, including melanoma, lung, bladder, bowel, kidney and blood cancers.
- Analysts have predicted that based on Roche's current development program, the company's new slate of drugs could generate $30 billion by 2025.
Dive Insight:
Speaking via conference call last week, Nico Andre, Head of Medical Affairs at Roche broadcasted his company's confidence in its oncology pipeline, with a particular focus on MPDL3280A.
Roche plans to submit MPDL3280A for regulatory review in both the U.S. and Europe within the next year. Roche is n undisputed leader in oncology, particularly for treatment of breast cancer. Last year, the 4% increase in Roche's pharmaceutical sales were largely driven by oncology, with a contribution of close to $7 billion in sales from Herceptin for treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer.
Earlier this month, Roche CEO Severin Schwan said that the company is actively looking for collaborators in cancer immunotherapy.