(Adds details on trial, product sales)
Feb 5 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca said on Friday its
Imfinzi drug did not prolong survival in a trial testing it as
an initial treatment of head and neck cancer, a setback in its
push to widen use of the immunotherapy beyond lung cancer.
Revenues from Imfinzi, mainly used against certain types of
lung cancer, gained 42% to $1.48 billion in the first nine
months of 2020, its fastest growing product.
"We will continue to build on the established benefits of
Imfinzi in early lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, to
bring immunotherapy treatment options to all patients who may
benefit," said Astra's head of oncology, Dave Fredrickson.
The drug is also being tested against tumours affecting the
bladder and cervix, among other cancer types.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Aby Jose
Koilparambil in Bengaluru; editing by Shounak Dasgupta and
Thomas Seythal)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
