10.12.2007 – 08:32

Roche Pharmaceuticals

Roche to Announce New Breast Cancer Data Pointing to Better Survival Chances and Potential for Cure

Basel, Switzerland (ots/PRNewswire)

- Phase II Results Suggest Avastin Can be Used in Curative Setting
Date

Experts attending the 30th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
(SABCS) December 13-16, will be amongst the first to hear new data
that highlight further advances in the treatment of breast cancer
with Avastin, Herceptin, pertuzumab and Xeloda.

Data to be presented will show that Avastin may have the potential
to be used as a curative treatment following breast cancer surgery.
Results from the randomized CHAT study (Xeloda, Herceptin and
Taxotere), will show that Xeloda when added to Herceptin and
docetaxel offers important survival benefits for women with advanced
breast cancer. In addition, data from two new studies will show that
patients whose cancer has progressed and who have received Herceptin
as part of their first-line therapy benefit from continued treatment
with Herceptin.

For pertuzumab, phase II study data will confirm the benefit and
good safety profile seen when combining pertuzumab with Herceptin in
patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide with
over 1 million new cases diagnosed every year(1), and more than
400,000 deaths, making(2) it the leading cause of cancer mortality in
women. However, while the incidence is increasing, outcomes are
improving, with more women now living longer with their disease and
many having the possibility of being cured.

At SABCS, Roche will present almost 50 abstracts. Among the
highlights will be:

    Avastin    Phase II feasibility trial incorporating  Friday 14 December,
               bevacizumab into dose dense doxorubicin   Poster Session 3,
               and cyclophosphamide followed by          Exhibit Hall B,
               paclitaxel in patients with lymph node    17.00 - 19.00
               positive breast cancer: a trial of the
               Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
               (E2104)
    Herceptin  Trastuzumab treatment beyond progression  Saturday 15
               in patients with HER-2 positive           December, Poster
               metastatic breast cancer - the TBP study  Session 4, Exhibit
               (GBG 26/BIG 3-05).                        Hall B, 7.00-9.00
               Clinical use of trastuzumab               Saturday 15
               (Herceptin(R)) in metastatic breast       December, Poster
               cancer (MBC) in Germany from 2001 to 2006 Session 4, Exhibit
                                                         Hall B, 07.00-09.00
    Xeloda     Evaluation of trastuzumab, doxetaxel and  Friday 14 December,
               capecitabine as first-line therapy for    Poster Discussion
               HER2-positive locally advanced or         Session 3, Ballroom
               metastatic breast cancer                  B, 17.00 - 19.00
    pertuzumab Safety of pertuzumab plus trastuzumab in  Sunday 16 December,
               a Phase II trial of patients with         General Session 7,
               HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast     Exhibit Hall D,
               cancer which had progressed during        09.00 - 12.00
               trastuzumab therapy
                                                         Presentation: 09.30
                                                         - 09.45

2007 has delivered significant improvements in the diagnosis and
treatment of various forms of breast cancer. Among the highlights
were the European approval of Avastin for up-front use in metastatic
breast cancer - the first treatment to offer women with late stage
disease the chance to live twice as long without their disease
progressing. (3) In addition, the use of Herceptin was widened when
it too gained European approval for use in combination with hormonal
based treatment for advanced breast cancer(4) because it may reduce
the need for mastectomies in women with HER2-positive disease - a
particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.(5)

Editor's note

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is one of the most
significant global cancer meetings bringing together breast cancer
researchers and clinicians from around the world every year. In 2007
over 8000 delegates from more than 80 countries are expected to
attend. Full details can be found at: http://www.sabcs.org

References

(1) Ferlay J, et al. Globocan 2002: Cancer incidence, mortality
and prevalence worldwide, Version 2.0 (IARC, Cancerbase No. 5) Lyon,
France, IARC Press, 2004.

(2) Kamangar F, et al. Patterns of cancer incidence, mortality,
and prevalence across five continents: defining priorities to reduce
cancer disparities in different geographic regions of the world. J
Clin Oncol 2006; 24(14): 2137-50.

(3) Miller KD, Wang M, Gralow J et al. E2100 A Randomized Phase
III Trial of Paclitaxel versus Paclitaxel plus Bevacizumab as
First-Line Therapy for Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Breast Cancer Res Treat 2005;94:S6 (Abstract 3)

(4) Kaufman B. Trastuzumab plus anastrozole prolongs
progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with HER2 positive,
hormone-dependent metastatic breast cancer (MBC). European Society
for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress. Abstract no. LBA2 2006.

(5) Baselga J et al. Efficacy of neoadjuvant trastuzumab in
patients with inflammatory breast cancer: data from the NOAH
(NEOADJUVANT HERCEPTIN) Phase III trial. Abstract 2030. ECCO meeting
2007

Contact:

Christine McMenamin, Roche, Tel: +41-61-688-2139, Mob:
+41-79-618-7671; Anne Cameron, Galliard, Tel: +44(0)207-663-2256,
Mob: +44(0)78-416-36-871