(Bloomberg) -- AstraZeneca Plc reported positive results from a late stage trial testing cancer drug Imfinzi in combination with a monoclonal antibody in a promising development for the treatment of liver cancer.
The U.K. drugmaker said a single dose of tremelimumab added to Imfinzi “demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful overall survival benefit” compared to rival drug sorafenib as a “first line” primary treatment for patients with a form of liver tumor cancer and limited treatment options.
“This serves to boost the patient's own immune system against their liver cancer, aiming to maximize long-term survival with minimal side effects,” said Ghassan Abou-Alfa, prinicipal investigator in the trial.
Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death and the sixth most common cancer worldwide with approximately 900,000 people diagnosed each year. Only 7% of patients with advanced disease survive five years. It is a key focus area for drugmakers focused on oncology with Roche's Tecentriq plus Avastin one of the main treatments for the disease.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:
“AstraZeneca's successful study in first-line liver cancer -- a $4 billion market opportunity -- is a major positive at first glance, but the lack of any data leaves us guessing as to how competitive it is with category leader Roche.”
-Sam Fazeli, BI senior pharmaceutical analyst
Astra's $4 Billion Liver-Cancer Option Leaves Us Guessing: React
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