AstraZeneca cancer drug secures US approval

(Sharecast News) - 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."