AstraZeneca Tries To Reach New Ground For Its Lead Cancer Drug Imfinzi With New Data In Liver Cancer Study

AstraZeneca Plc AZN released results from the EMERALD-1 Phase 3 trial of Imfinzi plus TACE concurrently, followed by Imfinzi with or without bevacizumab until progression versus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) alone in 616 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) eligible for embolization.

The data showed that Imfinzi (durvalumab), combined with TACE and bevacizumab, demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to TACE.

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These results will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Approximately 20-30% of patients with HCC, the most common type of liver cancer, are eligible for embolization, a procedure that blocks the blood supply to the tumor and can also deliver chemotherapy or radiation therapy directly to the liver.

In EMERALD-1, treatment with Imfinzi plus TACE and bevacizumab reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 23% compared to TACE alone (p=0.032). 

Median PFS was 15 months in patients treated with the Imfinzi combination versus 8.2 months with TACE. 

The PFS benefit observed was generally consistent across key prespecified subgroups, with a 55.5% vs. 39.8% PFS rate at 12 months and the PFS rate at 18 months of 43.1% vs. 28.3%.

The secondary endpoint of time to progression (TTP) further supports the clinical benefit of Imfinzi plus TACE and bevacizumab in this setting, with a median TTP of 22 months versus 10 months for TACE.

The trial will continue as planned to assess the key secondary endpoint of overall survival.

The safety profile for Imfinzi plus TACE and bevacizumab was generally manageable and consistent with the known profile of each medicine.

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Price Action: AZN shares are up 0.06% at $66.56 on the last check Friday.

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