AstraZeneca Imfinzi/chemo combo shows efficacy in lung cancer patients before surgery in trial
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AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) said interim data from a phase 3 trial of Imfinzi/chemo combo before surgery showed improvement in absence of detectable disease in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The British pharma giant noted that Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery showed a statistically significant and meaningful improvement in pathologic complete response (pCR) compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in these patients.
"Engaging the immune response with Imfinzi both before and after surgery is an exciting new strategy, and we hope these early findings from AEGEAN will lead to improved survival for lung cancer patients in this potentially curative setting," said Susan Galbraith, executive vice president, Oncology R&D.
A statistically significant improvement in major pathologic response (MPR) was also seen and the trial will continue as planned to evaluate the additional main goal of event-free survival ((EFS), according to a June 30 press release.
The company said the safety of adding Imfinzi to chemotherapy was consistent with the known profile for this combination.
AstraZeneca said it has several ongoing trials focused on testing Imfinzi in earlier stages of lung cancer, including in resectable NSCLC.
Imfinzi is approved for unresectable stage 3 NSCLC in certain patients and to treat extensive-stage SCLC.