China has approved AstraZeneca’s blockbuster oncology drug Imfinzi (durvalumab) for treating adults with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer when combined with platinum-based chemotherapy.

China’s National Medical Products Administration approved the drug based on phase 3 results that showed Imfinzi plus chemotherapy significantly improved survival vs. chemotherapy alone.

Small-cell lung cancer is an extremely aggressive form of the disease that usually recurs and progresses quickly, with only an estimated 3 percent of those with extensive-stage disease living past five years following their diagnosis. 

Imfinzi earned $2 billion globally in 2020.