AstraZeneca’s Imfinizi for Head and Neck Cancer Fails in Late-Stage Study

AstraZeneca (AZ)’s immunotherapy drug Imfinzi (durvalumab) failed to improve overall survival for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients in a global phase 3 trial.

The monoclonal antibody treatment was compared with chemotherapy plus Bristol Myers Squibb’s Erbitux (cetuximab) as a first-line treatment for HNSCC patients whose tumors expressed high levels of programmed cell death-ligand 1.

Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president of AZ’s oncology unit, said that insights from the disappointing study will advance the company’s “understanding and application” of immunotherapy.