An experimental oral drug developed by Roche has demonstrated significant potential in preventing the recurrence of a common form of breast cancer following surgery.
The promising results, announced by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm on Tuesday, saw the company’s shares surge, reinforcing its strong standing in oncology.
A scheduled interim analysis of a late-stage trial revealed that the experimental pill, giredestrant, led to a clinically meaningful improvement in keeping patients disease-free after surgery, outperforming standard endocrine therapy.
Further details are anticipated at an upcoming medical conference as Roche progresses towards regulatory approval.
The prospect of the drug curbing the spread of early-stage disease to other parts of the body propelled Roche’s share price up by 6.1 per cent to an eight-month high of 304.90 Swiss francs by 9.39am GMT.
JPMorgan analysts described the news as a “significant positive surprise,” estimating that if approved, this clinical application could generate approximately $5 billion in annual revenue.
Investors have been concerned that Roche is relying too heavily on its older blockbuster drugs, even as the family-controlled company steps up efforts to break into the fast-growing obesity market and diversify away from oncology.
The giredestrant pill belongs to a class known as oral selective oestrogen receptor degraders (SERD) to fight tumours that grow in response to oestrogen, which are estimated to account for up to 80 per cent of all breast cancer cases.
The market opportunity has also attracted AstraZeneca, which is developing rival compound camizestrant, while Sanofi’s development efforts in this area have failed.
