Roche Holding stock gains oncology support from divarasib data

Published on 10/30/2026 at 11:02 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Roche Holding stock is in focus after positive phase III data for divarasib in previously treated lung cancer. The study supports further regulatory work.

Divarasib advances Roche oncology pipeline

Roche reported phase III Krascendo 1 results for previously treated KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.
The study showed statistically significant gains in overall survival and progression-free survival against sotorasib or adagrasib.
Regulatory discussions and further phase III development will determine the commercial potential of divarasib.

Roche Holding, CH1499059983, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Roche reported on Sunday, October 25, 2026, that its investigational cancer drug divarasib delivered superior results to first-generation KRAS G12C inhibitors in the phase III Krascendo 1 study. The company published the findings in a Roche media release after the data were presented at the 2026 ESMO Congress in Madrid and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The trial evaluated divarasib in adults with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer carrying the KRAS G12C mutation. Roche said the treatment reduced the risk of death by 44 percent compared with sotorasib or adagrasib, while the risk of disease progression or death fell by 42 percent.

Trial results strengthen commercial case

Median overall survival reached 17.7 months with divarasib, versus 12.0 months in the control group. Median progression-free survival was 9.8 months against 5.7 months. The confirmed objective response rate was 58 percent for divarasib and 32 percent for the two established medicines.

The study also reported a longer median duration of response with divarasib, at 11.9 months compared with 6.9 months in the control arm. Roche said the results were consistent across clinically relevant subgroups, including patients grouped by PD-L1 expression or KEAP1 mutation status.

Safety remains a central consideration for the program. Roche reported no new safety signals and said the most common treatment-related adverse events were mainly low grade and manageable. Treatment-related discontinuations occurred in 4.8 percent of divarasib patients compared with 11.7 percent in the control group, while serious treatment-related events affected 7.8 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively.

Regulatory path remains next catalyst

Roche Chief Medical Officer Levi Garraway said the head-to-head results support divarasib's potential to become a new standard of care. The company is working with health authorities, but the drug remains investigational and its commercial contribution depends on regulatory decisions and market adoption.

Roche is advancing three phase III studies for divarasib. Krascendo 2 tests the drug with pembrolizumab in previously untreated advanced disease, while Krascendo 3 is evaluating adjuvant treatment after standard chemoimmunotherapy in earlier-stage lung cancer. The broader program is intended to extend the drug's use beyond the setting covered by the latest readout.

The real-time quote of Roche Holding stock stood at 438.23 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 11:00 CET on Friday, October 30, 2026.