AstraZeneca reported positive results from late-stage trials of two cancer drugs that account for about $9 billion in annual revenue for the company.
UK-based AstraZeneca has headquarters, logistics and manufacturing sites in northern Delaware that employ and estimated 1,500.
AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with chemotherapy before surgery and use after surgery demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival versus chemotherapy alone, followed by surgery for patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
Results were consistent with previously announced results. The trial will continue as planned to assess key secondary endpoints including disease-free survival and overall survival.
John V. Heymach, MD, professor and chair of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said: “Treating patients early with durvalumab both before and after surgery delivers a significant and clinically meaningful benefit in resectable non-small cell lung cancer, where new options are urgently needed to offer patients the best chance of long-term survival. The AEGEAN results provide compelling evidence that this novel durvalumab regimen can drive improved outcomes in this curative-intent setting.”
Also, AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (osimertinib) demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival, compared to placebo in the treatment of patients with a type of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
In May 2020, AstraZeneca announced Tagrisso demonstrated a significant improvement in disease-free survival in this setting. In September 2022, updated results demonstrated a median survival rate of nearly five and a half years.
Roy S. Herbst, MD, deputy director and chief of medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT, and principal investigator in the ADAURA Phase III trial, said: “These new survival data for osimertinib reinforce the unprecedented ADAURA disease-free survival results and confirm its potential to extend patients’ lives in early-stage disease. The ADAURA results provide powerful evidence that osimertinib offers the best possible care for patients with early-stage EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer who historically faced high rates of recurrence and previously had no targeted options after surgery.”
AstraZeneca has several ongoing trials focused on testing Tagrisso in earlier stages of lung cancer.
Each year, an estimated 2.2 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer globally, with 80-85% of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of lung cancer.. About 25-30% of all patients with NSCLC are diagnosed early enough to have surgery with a possible cure. However, only around 56-65% of patients with Stage II disease will survive for five years. This decreases to 41% for patients with Stage IIIA and 24% for patients with Stage IIIB disease.
Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “Patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer face unacceptably high rates of recurrence, despite treatment with chemotherapy and surgery. We have shown that adding Imfinzi both before and after surgery significantly increased the time patients live without recurrence or progression events. We will continue to follow patients for overall survival.”
AstraZeneca has several ongoing trials focused on testing Tagrisso in earlier stages of lung cancer.
Tagrisso is approved to treat early-stage lung cancer in more than 90 countries, including the US, EU, China, and Japan, and additional global reviews are ongoing. Tagrisso is also approved for other stages of cancer.
