Firm is investigating Herceptin and Xeloda in this indication.

Roche’s Avastin had no beneficial impact on the overall survival of metastatic gastric cancer patients when added to Xeloda or fluorouracil and cisplatin chemotherapy, according to results from the Phase III AVAGAST trial. The study found no difference in overall survival between patients given chemotherapy plus Avastin or chemotherapy plus placebo. 

Roche says that it was disappointed with the results but remains committed to developing treatments for stomach cancer, including Herceptin and Xeloda. Data from the study, including secondary endpoints, will be presented at a forthcoming meeting.

The AVAGAST trial involved 774 patients with inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic cancer of the stomach or gastro-esophageal cancer, who had received no prior treatment for advanced or metastatic disease. Secondary endpoints of the trial included progression-free survival, time to progression, overall response rate, and duration of response during first-line therapy. 

Avastin is an antiangiogenesis antibody targeting VEGF. The drug was first approved in the U.S. in 2004 as a treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. It is currently approved in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of advanced colorectal, breast, non-small-cell lung, and kidney cancers. Avastin is also approved in the U.S. for the treatment of glioblastoma.  

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