Amgen drug combined with immunotherapy extends survival in lung cancer trial
AMGN•Amgen’s Imdelltra combined with AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi reduced the risk of death by 58% compared with Imfinzi alone in a trial for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Median survival was 21.1 months with the combination and 12.7 months with Imfinzi alone.
1. Trial survival results
In the 563-patient study, patients given Imdelltra and Imfinzi lived a median of 21.1 months, compared with 12.7 months for patients given Imfinzi alone. Nearly 80% of patients on the combination were alive after one year, versus 53% in the control group.
2. Side effects and treatment
Serious side effects occurred in 20.9% of patients receiving both drugs and 10.8% receiving Imfinzi alone. Cytokine release syndrome was reported in 49.6% of patients given Imdelltra; one case was serious, and there were no related deaths. The results were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
3. Drug and market context
Imdelltra is approved in the United States for adults with advanced small cell lung cancer that has worsened despite chemotherapy. Its U.S. list price is about $30,000 per cycle, or more than $390,000 a year. Analysts have estimated annual sales could exceed $2.5 billion by 2030.
