FDA approves Genentech’s targeted bladder cancer treatment

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved Genentech’s  Tecentriq (atezolizumab), the company announced Thursday. The drug is a first-in-class treatment for urothelial carcinoma, the most common type of bladder cancer. The drug works by blocking interactions with PD-1/PDL-1 proteins. 

 

“Tecentriq provides these patients with a new therapy targeting the PD-L1 pathway,” said Dr. Richard Pazdur director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Products that block PD-1/PD-L1 interactions are part of an evolving story about the relationship between the body’s immune system and its interaction with cancer cells.”

 

The drug is indicated to treat patients with urothelial carcinoma whose illness worsened during or after a chemotherapy regimen containing platinum, either before or after surgical treatment.