Results show that Imfinzi (durvalumab) demonstrated a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in PFS compared to current standard of care with active surveillance in patients with locally-advanced (Stage III), unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had not progressed following standard platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy (CRT).
Results of the Phase III PACIFIC trial, included at the Presidential Symposium I of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress in Madrid, Spain, show an improvement in PFS of more than 11 months in patients treated with Imfinzi compared to placebo (full details in table below).
The PFS improvement with Imfinzi was observed across all pre-specified subgroups, including PD-L1 expression status. Patients receiving Imfinzi also had a lower incidence of metastases than those receiving placebo. The PACIFIC trial continues to evaluate overall survival (OS), the other primary endpoint.
Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: “The Phase III PACIFIC results are incredibly encouraging for a patient population that until now has been without treatment options.
“As the first Immuno-Oncology medicine to achieve improvement in progression-free survival in this setting, Imfinzi is showing clear potential to become a new standard of care for patients with locally-advanced, unresectable NSCLC who have not progressed following chemoradiation.”
Dr. Luis Paz-Ares, Principal Investigator of the PACIFIC trial, from the Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain, said: “For patients with locally-advanced unresectable NSCLC who have completed chemoradiation therapy, Imfinzi represents a potential new treatment option in the context of clear unmet clinical need.
“Durvalumab overtly prolongs the period in which the disease is controlled with reasonable side effects. In addition, it offers hope to increase the cure rate in this setting, but more mature follow-up is needed to assess its impact on survival.”
Among patients receiving Imfinzi, the most frequent treatment-related adverse events (AEs) vs. placebo were cough (35.4% vs 25.2%), pneumonitis/radiation pneumonitis (33.9% vs 24.8%), fatigue (23.8% vs 20.5%), dyspnoea (22.3% vs 23.9%) and diarrhoea (18.3% vs 18.8%). 29.9% of patients experienced a grade 3 or 4 AE vs. 26.1% for placebo, and 15.4% of patients discontinued treatment due to AEs compared to 9.8% of patients on placebo.
On 31 July 2017, Imfinzi received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a potential treatment for patients with locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC whose disease has not progressed following platinum-based chemoradiation therapy.
AstraZeneca is in discussions with global health authorities regarding regulatory submissions for Imfinzi based on the PACIFIC data. A status of regulatory submissions is usually provided with the Company’s quarterly results announcement.
Imfinzi received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for previously treated patients with advanced bladder cancer and is under review in Canada and Australia for similar use.