Roche's experimental cancer drug divarasib succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial, the company reported. According to BioPharma Dive, the Phase 3 study tested the drug in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease.
What sets this trial apart is its design. Rather than comparing divarasib to a placebo, Roche pitted it directly against rival treatments already on the market — specifically drugs sold by Amgen and Bristol Myers Squibb, according to BioPharma Dive. These so-called head-to-head studies are harder to win but far more convincing, because they show whether a new medicine actually outperforms the options doctors already have.
All three drugs belong to a class that targets KRAS, a gene long considered one of the most difficult targets in cancer. Mutations in KRAS drive many tumors, and for decades researchers struggled to make drugs that could block it. The recent arrival of KRAS inhibitors marked a breakthrough, and companies are now competing to prove whose version works best.
BioPharma Dive reports that divarasib succeeded in the trial, though the source item does not detail the specific efficacy figures.
Why it matters: A head-to-head win could help Roche carve out ground in a crowded and competitive corner of cancer treatment, potentially giving lung cancer patients a more effective option than the KRAS drugs currently available.