UK gets early access to Roche’s breast cancer immunotherapy

Hard on the heels of an FDA approval for Roche’s Tecentriq and Celgene’s Abraxane for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the regimen has been cleared for early access in the UK. The green light means adult patients with PD-L1 positive, unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC will be able to get treatment with PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and chemotherapy Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) under the early access to medicines scheme (EAMS), ahead of EU approval. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) positive opinion applies to patients whose tumors have PD-L1 expression of 1% or more, and who have not received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease, says the regulator. The decision is good news for what Roche says is a “small proportion” of UK patients with TNBC, an aggressive form of the disease which accounts for around 15% of all breast cancer cases.