AstraZeneca closes 1.5% lower on Imfinzi trial failure

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) closed 1.5% lower on Friday following disappointing news on its Imfinzi (durvalumab) immunotherapy.

The KESTREL Phase III trial of the PD-L1 inhibitor did not meet the primary endpoint of improving overall survival (OS) versus the EXTREME treatment regimen (chemotherapy plus cetuximab), a standard of care, in the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) whose tumors expressed high levels of PD-L1.

Also, the combination of Imfinzi plus tremelimumab did not indicate an OS benefit in ‘all-comer’ patients, a secondary endpoint.