AstraZeneca expects later cancer trial completion

AstraZeneca has pushed back the expected completion of the Phase III 'Mystic' clinical trial of its Imfinzi immunotherapy treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

It is likely to be the second half of 2018 rather than the first when analysis of the overall survival rates will be completed by Astra's MedImmune biologics arm as the 167-centre trial needs to allow events to unfold, such as progression-free survival of the cancer.

Imfinzi, known generically as durvalumab, is a human monoclonal antibody that aims to counter a tumour's immune-evasion enable the body's immune responses.

In the Mystic trial, Imfinzi is being used both as monotherapy and in combination with another antibody, tremelimumab, in comparison with standard platinum-based chemotherapy in patients that have not yet been treated for their metastatic first-line non-small cell lung cancer.

Tremelimumab aims to contribute to activation of T cell and therefore boost the immune response to cancer.

In February, Imfinzi received approval from the US drug regulator for the treatment of patients with unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Imfinzi has also received accelerated approval in the US for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or whose disease has progressed within 12 months of receiving platinum-containing chemotherapy before or after surgery.