Imfinzi combo backed for NHS use in biliary tract cancer

Imfinzi (durvalumab), in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin (chemotherapy), has been recommended for National Health Service (NHS) use in England and Wales for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Already approved in other cancer indications, Imfinzi is one UK pharma major AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) best selling drugs, generating global sales of $2.8 billion last year.

AstraZeneca noted that there remains a significant unmet need for new treatment options in BTC, a group of rare and aggressive cancers that occur in the bile ducts and gallbladder, with only around 5%-15% of patients surviving five years. Worldwide, bile duct cancer, or biliary tract cancer as it is most commonly known, is the second most common primary liver cancer with incidence rates increasing in many western countries, including the UK.