Roche's Tecentriq crosses the finish line first in adjuvant lung...

Roche's Tecentriq crosses the finish line first in adjuvant lung cancer, potentially kicking off gold rush

While falling behind the biggest PD-(L)1 drugs in terms of sales (Keytruda), Roche has looked to carve out a space for its Tecentriq with a growing expertise in lung cancer.
The drug will now take an early lead in the sought-after adjuvant setting — but competitors are on the way.The FDA on Friday approved Tecentriq as an adjuvant therapy for patients with Stage II-IIIA non small cell lung cancer with PD-(L)1 scores greater than or equal to 1, making it the first drug of its kind approved in an early setting that covers around 40% of all NSCLC patients.
The agency based its review on data from the Phase III IMpower010 study, which showed adjuvant Tecentriq cut the risk of relapse or death by 34% over best supportive care. Tecentriq was placed on priority review from the agency in this indication back in early August, making it a speedy turnaround from the FDA.

Merck will be acutely aware of need to bolster Keytruda in many cancer settings, including NSCLC (noting its currently not approved as a mono therapy PD1 to maintain its leadership position.

KEYTRUDA is a prescription medicine used to treat a kind of lung cancer called non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
KEYTRUDA may be used with the chemotherapy medicines pemetrexed and a platinum as your first treatment when your lung cancer has spread (advanced NSCLC) and is a type called "nonsquamous" and your tumor does not have an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene.
KEYTRUDA may be used with the chemotherapy medicines carboplatin and either paclitaxel or paclitaxel protein-bound as your first treatment when your lung cancer has spread (advanced NSCLC), and is a type called "squamous."
KEYTRUDA may be used alone as your first treatment when your lung cancer has not spread outside your chest (stage III) and you cannot have surgery or chemotherapy with radiation, or your NSCLC has spread to other areas of your body (advanced NSCLC), and your tumor tests positive for "PD-L1" and does not have an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene.
KEYTRUDA may also be used alone for advanced NSCLC if you have tried chemotherapy that contains platinum and it did not work or is no longer working and, your tumor tests positive for "PD-L1" and if your tumor has an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene, you have also received an "EGFR" or "ALK" inhibitor medicine that did not work or is no longer working.

Low cost, efficacy improvement across all PD1 expressions, add minimal toxicity and the solution - is Efti!....