(Reuters) – AstraZeneca Plc said on Friday its combination treatment for a form of bladder cancer failed to meet the main goal of improving overall survival in patients with an advanced form of the disease in a late-stage study.
The safety and tolerability profiles for Imfinzi and the combination of the drug with tremelimumab were consistent with previous trials, the British drugmaker said. [nFWN2AY14Y]
Imfinzi is approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy in 15 countries, including the United States.
Imfinzi and tremelimumab belong to the immunotherapy class of treatments, which strengthen the body’s defenses to fight cancer and tumors.
In 2018, about 550,000 people were diagnosed with bladder cancer around the world and 200,000 died from the disease, AstraZeneca said.
Imfinzi is also being tested as a monotherapy and in combinations including with tremelimumab, as a treatment for other forms of cancer, including head and neck, liver and cervical.
(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V, Bernard Orr)
