Competition for Roche in less common lung cancer type

After winning Priority Review from the US regulator in December 2019, AstraZeneca's (LSE: AZN) Imfinzi (durvalumab) has now been approved as a first-line option for people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

The decision means that Roche (ROG: SIX) will at last have some competition for its immuno-oncology option, Tecentriq (atezolizumab), for this group of patients.

Other products are available in later-line settings, such as Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda (pembrolizumab), as a third-line treatment, and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo (nivolumab), as a second-line option.