ASTRAZENECA PRESENTS SUPERIOR PROGRESSION-FREE SURVIVAL FOR IMFINZI IN THE PACIFIC TRIAL OF PATIENTS WITH LOCALLY-ADVANCED UNRESECTABLE LUNG CANCER AT ESMO 2017 CONGRESS

On September 11, 2017AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, reported that they have presented the full PFS data from a planned interim analysis of the Phase III PACIFIC trial (Press release, AstraZeneca, SEP 11, 2017, View Source [SID1234520474]). 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).

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Results of the Phase III PACIFIC trial, included at the Presidential Symposium I of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 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. Detailed results of the PACIFIC trial are published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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."

Summary of key efficacy results:
Endpoint
Medicine
Value
Hazard ratio (HR)/Confidence interval (CI)
PFS*(first primary endpoint)

Imfinzi
16.8 months (median)
HR 0.5295% CI, 0.42-0.65, p<0.0001
Placebo
5.6 months(median)
Duration of response (DoR)
Imfinzi
Not reached
N/A
Placebo
13.8 months
Objective Response Rate (ORR) as measured from baseline scan post-CRT completion
Imfinzi
28.4%
95% CI, 24.28-32.89, p<0.001
Placebo
16.0%
95% CI, 11.31-21.59, p<0.001
* Time from randomisation to the first documented tumour progression, or death in the absence of progression. Randomisation in the PACIFIC trial occurred up to 6 weeks after completion of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (cCRT) and cCRT typically lasted at least 6 weeks. If the PFS had been measured prior to cCRT, it would add approximately 3 months or longer to the PFS value for each arm.

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.

About Locally Advanced (Stage III) NSCLC
Stage III lung cancer is divided into two stages (IIIA and IIIB), which are defined by how much the cancer has spread locally and the possibility of surgery. This differentiates it from Stage IV disease, when the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other organs.

Stage III lung cancer represents approximately one-third of NSCLC incidence and was estimated to affect around 105,000 patients in the G7 countries in 2016. More than half of these patients have tumours that are unresectable. The current standard of care is chemotherapy and radiation followed by active surveillance to monitor for progression. The prognosis remains poor and long-term survival rates are low.

About PACIFIC
The PACIFIC trial is a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial of Imfinzi as sequential treatment in unselected patients with locally-advanced, unresectable (Stage III) NSCLC who have not progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy.

The trial is being conducted in 235 centres across 26 countries involving approximately 700 patients. The primary endpoints of the trial are progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints include landmark PFS and OS, objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response.

About Imfinzi
Imfinzi (durvalumab), a human monoclonal antibody directed against PD-L1, blocks PD-L1 interaction with PD-1 and CD80 on T cells, countering the tumour’s immune-evading tactics and inducing an immune response.

Imfinzi continues to be studied in multiple monotherapy trials and combination trials with tremelimumab and other potential new medicines in Immuno-Oncology. Imfinzi is being assessed in Phase III trials as a monotherapy in various stages of NSCLC, in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) and in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The combination of Imfinzi and tremelimumab is being assessed in Phase III trials in NSCLC, SCLC, mUC and HNSCC and in Phase I/II trials in hepatocellular carcinoma and haematological malignancies.

About AstraZeneca in Lung Cancer
AstraZeneca is committed to developing therapies to help every patient with lung cancer. We have two approved therapies and a growing pipeline that targets genetic changes in tumour cells and boosts the power of the immune response against cancer. Our unrelenting pursuit of science aims to deliver more breakthrough therapies with the goal of extending and improving the lives of patients across all stages of disease and lines of therapy.

About AstraZeneca’s Approach to Immuno-Oncology (IO)
Immuno-Oncology (IO) is a therapeutic approach designed to stimulate the body’s immune system to attack tumours. At AstraZeneca and MedImmune, our biologics research and development arm, our IO portfolio is anchored by immunotherapies that have been designed to overcome anti-tumour immune suppression. We believe that IO-based therapies will offer the potential for life-changing cancer treatments for the vast majority of patients.

We are pursuing a comprehensive clinical trial programme that includes Imfinzi (anti-PD-L1) monotherapy and in combination with tremelimumab (anti-CTLA-4) in multiple tumour types, stages of disease, and lines of therapy, using the PD-L1 biomarker as a decision-making tool to define the best potential treatment path for a patient. In addition, the ability to combine our IO portfolio with small, targeted molecules from across our oncology pipeline, and with those of our research partners, may provide new treatment options across a broad range of tumours.

AstraZeneca presents superior progression-free survival for Imfinzi in the PACIFIC trial of patients with locally-advanced unresectable lung cancer at ESMO 2017 Congress

On September 8, 2017 AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, reported that they have presented the full PFS data from a planned interim analysis of the Phase III PACIFIC trial (Press release, AstraZeneca, SEP 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234520437]). 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).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Results of the Phase III PACIFIC trial, included at the Presidential Symposium I of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 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. Detailed results of the PACIFIC trial are published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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."

Summary of key efficacy results:

Endpoint
Medicine
Value
Hazard ratio (HR)/
Confidence interval (CI)
PFS*
(first primary endpoint)

Imfinzi
16.8 months (median)
HR 0.52
95% CI, 0.42-0.65, p<0.0001
Placebo
5.6 months
(median)
Duration of response (DoR)
Imfinzi
Not reached
N/A
Placebo
13.8 months
Objective Response Rate (ORR) as measured from baseline scan post-CRT completion
Imfinzi
28.4%
95% CI, 24.28-32.89, p<0.001
Placebo
16.0%
95% CI, 11.31-21.59, p<0.001
* Time from randomisation to the first documented tumour progression, or death in the absence of progression. Randomisation in the PACIFIC trial occurred up to 6 weeks after completion of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (cCRT) and cCRT typically lasted at least 6 weeks. If the PFS had been measured prior to cCRT, it would add approximately 3 months or longer to the PFS value for each arm.

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.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Locally Advanced (Stage III) NSCLC

Stage III lung cancer is divided into two stages (IIIA and IIIB), which are defined by how much the cancer has spread locally and the possibility of surgery. This differentiates it from Stage IV disease, when the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other organs.

Stage III lung cancer represents approximately one-third of NSCLC incidence and was estimated to affect around 105,000 patients in the G7 countries in 2016. More than half of these patients have tumours that are unresectable. The current standard of care is chemotherapy and radiation followed by active surveillance to monitor for progression. The prognosis remains poor and long-term survival rates are low.

About PACIFIC

The PACIFIC trial is a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial of Imfinzi as sequential treatment in unselected patients with locally-advanced, unresectable (Stage III) NSCLC who have not progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy.

The trial is being conducted in 235 centres across 26 countries involving approximately 700 patients. The primary endpoints of the trial are progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints include landmark PFS and OS, objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response.

About Imfinzi

Imfinzi (durvalumab), a human monoclonal antibody directed against PD-L1, blocks PD-L1 interaction with PD-1 and CD80 on T cells, countering the tumour’s immune-evading tactics and inducing an immune response.

Imfinzi continues to be studied in multiple monotherapy trials and combination trials with tremelimumab and other potential new medicines in Immuno-Oncology. Imfinzi is being assessed in Phase III trials as a monotherapy in various stages of NSCLC, in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) and in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The combination of Imfinzi and tremelimumab is being assessed in Phase III trials in NSCLC, SCLC, mUC and HNSCC and in Phase I/II trials in hepatocellular carcinoma and haematological malignancies.