Roche Joins the Immuno-oncology Front With a PD-L1 inhibitor

Swiss drugmaker Roche is to present data on its experimental immunotherapy drug in breast cancer next month, extending the novel approach to fighting tumours to another cancer type.

Early clinical results with the drug, known as MPDL3280A, in so-called triple negative breast cancer will be revealed at the Dec. 9-13 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the company said on Thursday after announcing third-quarter results.

The Roche product belongs to a drug class known as anti-PD-L1 treatments that help the body's immune system fend off cancer by blocking a protein used by tumours to evade disease-fighting cells.

Developed first for melanoma, these medicines are also showing promise in a range of other tumour types.

Report on Reuters: http://reut.rs/1FbqH9z