Roche Holding AG's combination of Tecentriq and Avastin reduced the risk of disease worsening or death by 26% in a phase 3 study among certain patients with advanced kidney cancer.
The study, named IMmotion151, had enrolled 915 people globally and evaluated the drug combination as a first-line treatment for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
Roche disclosed in December 2017 that the study met one of its main goals, with the results to be presented in 2018.
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Among 362 patients with cancers expressing PD-L1 protein, the combination stopped the disease from worsening for 11.2 months, compared to 7.7 months for patients given Pfizer Inc.'s Sutent, or sunitinib.
The PD-L1 protein is present on the surface of tumor cells and has been shown to suppress the immune system.
Another goal of the trial was overall survival, the length of time from either the diagnosis or the start of treatment that the patient lives. The company said the initial observations for this goal were encouraging but still immature.

