AstraZeneca's Imfinzi fails in late-stage trial to treat certain type of lung cancer

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday its blockbuster cancer drug, Imfinzi, failed to improve disease-free survival in a late-stage trial to treat a type of early-stage lung cancer.

Imfinzi is a human monoclonal antibody, which works to block a tumour's ability to evade and dampen the immune system, while also boosting the body's anti-cancer immune response, offering an alternative to chemotherapy.

The ADJUVANT BR.31 Phase III trial did not meet the primary endpoint of disease-free survival versus a placebo in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer after tumour removal in patients whose tumours express PD-L1 on 25 per cent or more tumour cells, the drugmaker said.

"We are disappointed in the ADJUVANT BR.31 results," said Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of oncology R&D at AstraZeneca.

The latest results were a contrast to the ones published in April, when the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said Imfinzi, in a separate trial, helped improve survival in patients in the early stages of small-cell, or aggressive type, of lung cancer, meeting two key trial goals.