FDA Approves New First-Line Bladder Cancer Treatment

The FDA has approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) the first and only cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of individuals with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who are not eligible for cisplatin chemotherapy.

Tecentriq was previously approved for individuals with locally advanced or mUC who experienced disease progression during or following any platinum-containing chemotherapy, or within 12 months of receiving chemotherapy before surgery or after surgery.

Its approval was based upon the results of an open-label, multicenter, single-arm, phase III study in which patients who received 1200 mg Tecentriq every 3 weeks until either unacceptable toxicity or disease progression demonstrated an overall response rate of 23.5%.

The most common adverse effects of Tecentriq include fatigue, decreased appetitie, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and fever.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

FDA Grants Genentech’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) accelerated approval as initial treatment for certain people with advanced bladder cancer [press release]. San Francisco, California. April 17, 2017. https://www.gene.com/media/press-releases/14660/2017-04-17/fda-grants-genentechs-tecentriq-atezoliz.