AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Boosts Survival for Patients With Biliary Tract Cancer

AstraZeneca has scored another win with Imfinzi (durvalumab), showing that the checkpoint inhibitor in combination with standard chemotherapy improved both overall and progression-free survival for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), a rare, aggressive disease with extremely low 5-year survival rates.

The benefit compared to standard chemo alone was so great that an Independent Data Monitoring Committee stopped the trial early, saying it had already demonstrated a significant advantage over usual care, AstraZeneca said.

“We have now delivered two positive gastrointestinal cancer trials in a row for Imfinzi, following the HIMALAYA trial in liver cancer. We believe the significant survival benefit demonstrated marks a new era of immunotherapy treatment in this devastating disease,” said Susan Galbraith, the company’s executive vice president of oncology research and development.

The company didn’t release specific numbers, but said it will present its full analysis at an upcoming meeting.