Imfinzi, an immunotherapy drug produced by Astrazeneca has made a second giant feat of enhancing the overall survival in lung cancer patients, thereby increasing the expectation for a drug which already has a good commercial launch.
This success of increasing life span was announced on Friday by the company, with data proof showing patients in the previous year on Imfinzi living an average 16.8 months without the disease worsening, compared to those on placebo with just 5.6 months.
U.S regulatory authorities approved Imfinzi in February allowing it to be used in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) and inoperable mid-stage disease that has not metastasized widely around the body because it has a progression- free survival(PFS) benefit.
Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, who is also the acting director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research stated this while giving his report.
Some of the side effects of Imfinzi common among patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC include cough, fatigue, inflammation in the lungs known as pneumonitis/radiation pneumonitis, upper respiratory tract infections, difficulty breathing or dyspnea and rash. Other serious risks include immune-mediated side effects, where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells or organs such as the lungs, liver, colon, hormone-producing glands and kidneys.
Imfinzi is expected to pull in sales at $2.8 billion by 2023. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths.
Photo Credit: Reuters
