- Nico Andre, Roche's (OTCQX:RHHBY -0.1%) head of medical affairs for oncology, says the company expects to have 11 immunotherapy cancer drug candidates in late-stage trials by the end of this year. The furthest along, MPDL3280A, is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-L1, a protein on the surface of cancer cells that plays a key role in suppressing the immune system by hindering the proliferation of CD8+ T cells, the body's front-line attackers of foreign antigens. The company plans to submit regulatory applications in the U.S. and Europe for MPDL3280A later this year.
- Some analysts project that cancer immunotherapies will be greater than a $30B market by 2025.