AstraZeneca shares exceptional survival results for Imfinzi/Imjudo in liver cancer

AstraZeneca (AZ) has reported groundbreaking overall survival (OS) results from its late-stage study of Imfinzi (durvalumab) combined with Imjudo (tremelimumab) in patients with advanced liver cancer. The phase 3 HIMALAYA trial investigated the effectiveness of a 300mg priming dose of Imjudo added to a 1500mg dose of Imfinzi, followed by subsequent Imfinzi treatments every four weeks. This study targeted patients with unresectable, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had not previously undergone systemic therapy and were not suitable for localized treatment.

Presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, the HIMALAYA trial's findings revealed that this combination therapy, referred to as the STRIDE regimen, decreased the risk of death by 24% compared to sorafenib, a common multi-kinase inhibitor, over a five-year follow-up period. Specifically, 19.6% of patients receiving the Imfinzi and Imjudo combination were alive at the five-year mark, compared to 9.4% of those treated with sorafenib. Furthermore, among the subgroup of patients who achieved disease control, 28.7% of those on the STRIDE regimen were alive at five years versus 12.7% of those in the sorafenib group.

AstraZeneca also noted that exploratory analyses indicated that patients treated with the Imfinzi and Imjudo combination experienced more significant responses, leading to longer survival times compared to sorafenib. Additionally, the safety profile of the regimen was consistent with the known profiles of each individual drug.

Liver cancer diagnoses affect nearly 900,000 people globally each year, with HCC constituting the majority of these cases. Over half of these patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the five-year survival rate is a mere 7%.

Imfinzi functions by inhibiting the interaction between PD-L1 and the PD-1 and CD80 proteins, which helps to combat the tumor's ability to evade the immune system and enhances immune response. Imjudo, on the other hand, blocks CTLA-4 activity, which aids in T-cell activation and primes the immune system to target and kill cancer cells. This combination has already received approval for treating adults with advanced or unresectable HCC in the United States, European Union, and several other countries.

Lorenza Rimassa of Humanitas University and IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, the lead investigator for the HIMALAYA trial, highlighted the significance of these findings. Rimassa remarked, "Treatment with Imfinzi plus Imjudo for patients with advanced liver cancer doubled the OS rate at five years, a significant survival advantage over sorafenib that has also become even more pronounced over time." Rimassa emphasized that this data supports the use of this novel dual immunotherapy regimen and marks an essential milestone for patients battling this severe disease.