(Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Friday its Imfinzi drug did not prolong survival in a trial testing it as an initial treatment of head and neck cancer, a setback in its push to widen use of the immunotherapy beyond lung cancer.
Revenues from Imfinzi, mainly used against certain types of lung cancer, gained 42% to $1.48 billion in the first nine months of 2020, its fastest growing product.
“We will continue to build on the established benefits of Imfinzi in early lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, to bring immunotherapy treatment options to all patients who may benefit,” said Astra’s head of oncology, Dave Fredrickson.
The drug is also being tested against tumours affecting the bladder and cervix, among other cancer types.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Thomas Seythal)
