Study Boosts Roche Bid for Tarceva Use

Switzerland-based Roche has some new findings to bolster broader use of its cancer treatment Tarceva. In a new study--stopped early because of the results--the drug kept cancer from progressing in patients newly diagnosed with EGFR-positive, non-small cell lung cancer. Roche said it will now ask U.S. FDA to approve Tarceva as an initial treatment in patients with this type of cancer.

"The Eurtac study demonstrates that testing for EGFR activating mutations can identify...candidates to receive Tarceva as their initial treatment for ad