9th Sep 2019 09:10
(Alliance News) - FTSE 100-listed medicine maker AstraZeneca PLC on Monday said its Imfinzi drug improved survival in advanced small cell lung cancer in a recent trial.
In the phase 3 Caspian trial, Imfinzi "significantly improved overall survival in patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer".
Small cell lung cancer makes up around 15% of lung cancer cases and around 75% of those patients are diagnosed with the disease at an extensive stage - meaning the cancer has spread throughout the lung or into other body parts. Only 6% of small cell lung cancer patients survive five years past diagnosis.
The Caspian trial, which combined Imfinzi with four cycles of chemotherapy, found "a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement" in overall survival when compared to the current standard of care - up to six chemotherapy cycles plus optional prophylactic cranial irradiation.
Risk of death dropped 27% and the median overall survival was 13 months compared to 10.3 months with standard care. Around 34% of patients were still alive at 18 months after treatment with Imfinzi, up from 25% with standard treatment.
The progression-free survival rate at 12 months was 18%, up from 4.7% with standard care, and the confirmed objective response rate was 68% versus 58%. The duration of response was 23% at 12 months compared to 6.3% with standard care.
Jose Baselga, executive vice president of Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca said: "We are encouraged to see more than a third of small cell lung cancer patients treated with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy alive at the 18-month landmark, which is remarkable given the aggressive nature of the disease. It is also noteworthy that these results may enable physicians to choose Imfinzi in combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin chemotherapy backbones. We look forward to working with regulatory authorities to bring Imfinzi to patients with small cell lung cancer around the world as soon as possible."
Shares in AstraZeneca were up marginally at 7,236.00 pence in London on Monday morning.
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