'Tecentriq' reattempts at lung cancer adjuvant therapy reimb

After two unsuccessful attempts at the CDRC, the company applies for a third time

Confirmed overall survival improvement…attention is gathered on whether it will be listed

Product photo of Tecentriq

'Tecentriq,' immunotherapy for cancer, will be submitted again for expanded insurance reimbursement of adjuvant therapy for lung cancer.

 

According to our press coverage, Roche Korea applied for expanded reimbursement of its PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and is awaiting review by the Cancer Disease Review Committee (CDRC) of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA).

 

It is their third attempt.

 

The detailed indication that the company is applying for expanded reimbursement is 'adjuvant therapy after resection and platinum-based chemotherapy for Stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) where PD-L1 is expressed in 50% or more of tumor cells (TC).' Tecentriq was first submitted to the CDRC in May 2023; however, at that time, reimbursement criteria for the drug had not been established.

 

Then, the company made a second attempt, but it did not pass the CDRC in July of last year.

 

At that time, Roche presented overall survival (OS) improvement results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, but the company did not receive the outcome.

 

Consequently, it is to be watched whether Tecentriq receives a different outcome at the third attempt.

 

Meanwhile, Tecentriq is indicated for various types of lung cancer and was the first immunotherapy to be approved for first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer in combination with carboplatin and etoposide (chemotherapy).

 

Furthermore, it continues to conduct various clinical studies to address unmet medical needs in advanced or metastatic NSCLC, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other targeted therapies, chemotherapy, or immunotherapies.

 

NSCLC is a key lung cancer type that accounts for approximately 85-90% of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in Korea.

 

A significant number of patients are diagnosed at the locally advanced or metastatic stage, and about half of NSCLC patients who undergo complete resection still experience cancer recurrence after surgery.

 

NSCLC poses a heavy burden on these patients.