AstraZeneca cancer drug secures US approval

AstraZeneca drug Imfinzi has been approved for use in the US for patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer, the biopharmaceutical specialist confirmed on Thursday.

LS-SCLC is a highly aggressive form of cancer. Currently only 15% to 30% of patients with LS-SCLC are alive five years after diagnosis.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Imfinzi for use on adult patients whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Approval was based on Adriatic phase III trial results that showed a 27% reduction in the risk of death versus the placebo, AstraZeneca said.

Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president at AstraZeneca’s oncology business unit, said it was a "breakthrough" for LS-SCLC patients.

He continued: "Imfinzi is now the only immunotherapy approved for both limited and extensive stage small cell lunch cancer, underscoring our commitment to improving survival rates."