AZN : Imfinzi Plus Chemotherapy Triples Patient Survival At 3-yrs In ES-Small Cell Lung Cancer

(RTTNews) - AstraZeneca Plc.'s (AZN, AZN.L) Imfinzi or durvalumab in combination with a choice of chemotherapies, etoposide plus either carboplatin or cisplatin, demonstrated a sustained, clinically meaningful overall survival benefit at three years for adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer or ES-SCLC treated in the 1st-line setting, as per an updated results from the CASPIAN Phase III trial.

These data were presented during a mini-oral session on September 18, 2021, at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2021.

The CASPIAN trial met the primary endpoint of OS in June 2019, reducing the risk of death by 27%, which has formed the basis of regulatory approvals in many countries around the world. Updated results were previously presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program in May 2020 with a median follow up of more than two years.

The latest results for Imfinzi plus chemotherapy showed sustained efficacy after a median follow up of more than three years for censored patients, with a 29% reduction in the risk of death versus chemotherapy alone Updated median overall survival was 12.9 months versus 10.5 for chemotherapy.

AstraZeneca noted that the survival benefits were consistent across all subgroups, in line with previous analyses.

According to the company, Imfinzi plus chemotherapy continued to demonstrate a well-tolerated safety profile consistent with the known profiles of these medicines. Results showed 32.5% of patients experienced a serious adverse event (all causality) with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy versus 36.5% with chemotherapy alone.

Imfinzi in combination with etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin is approved in the 1st-line setting of ES-SCLC in more than 55 countries, including the US, Japan, China and across the EU.

Imfinzi is also being tested following concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in patients with limited-stage SCLC in the ADRIATIC Phase III trial as part of a broad development program.

In addition, Imfinzi is also approved to treat non-small cell lung cancer in the curative-intent setting of unresectable, Stage III disease after CRT in the US, Japan, China, across the EU and in many other countries, based on results from the PACIFIC Phase III trial.