Roche announced that Alecensa (alectinib), the company's ALK blocker, was approved in China as a first-line therapy for ALK-positive non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Alecensa is an oral drug that blocks the activity of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). The approval was based on Roche's global Phase III trial that compared Alecensa to the previous standard of care, a Pfizer drug, Xalkori® (crizotinib). Alecensa, which has been available in the US and Europe for several years, increased progression-free survival to 34.8 months from 10.9 months for crizotinib. More details.... Stock Symbols: (SIX: ROG) (NYSE: PFE) Share this with colleagues: // //