(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Friday said its Imfinzi and tremelimumab drug combination demonstrated an overall survival benefit in a Phase 3 trial as a first-line treatment for patients with mesastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
The results for Imfinzi and tremelimumab combined with chemotherapy showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefits to overall survival and progression-free survival, compared to chemotherapy alone.
A trial of Imfinzi with chemotherapy improved progression-free survival, but did not improve overall survival. Each combination demonstrated an acceptable safety profile, AstraZeneca said.
Overall survival measures how long a patient lives after starting a treatment, while progression-free survival measures how long it takes for a cancer to start growing after treatment starts.
Imfinzi is already approved in the US, EU, Japan and other countries for certain types of lung cancer, while tremelimumab has not yet been approved.
"We've seen encouraging uptake of novel combinations in this setting and believe this new approach will add a further option for patients with high unmet medical need. We look forward to discussing next steps with regulatory authorities," Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president of AstraZeneca's oncology business unit, said.
AstraZeneca shares were up 0.6% to 7,724.00 pence in London.
By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com
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