After Amgen Inc, Genentech is the world’s second-biggest biotechnology company and is mainly owned by Roche Holding AG, the Swiss drug maker. Roche is now seeking to get the other 44% of Genentech. The biotechnology company has recently released the Avastin drug, designed to treat the colon cancer patients who have undergone surgery.

Genentech announced on Wednesday that they will have back the efficiency results as early as mid-April. The study is made on 2,710 patients and is known under the name of NSABP C-08. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project are leading it and the National Cancer Institute sponsors it. The future market value of Genentech depends on these results.

Genentech stated in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the NSABP will go on with the study if it happens that the required number of patients isn’t the one needed or previously scheduled. In addition, if this happens, then the results will be released during the first half of 2009.

As Alexandra Hauber, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, said, the company hasn’t agreed yet to make a deal and gave no reason for this delay because the board is now waiting for the study’s results to be positive in hope that this could force Roche Holding to increase its offer.

Yet, Genentech has already refused a $43.7 billion offer so everyone gets to question how much would Roche propose now and whether it would increase its offer. Hauber said that the data should “add an incremental $6 to the $89 offer."

Genentech’s Avastin is now on the market to treat metastatic and advanced colorectal cancer. But this new study is made as to show that the drug can also work in delaying disease progression after a patient undergoes surgery.