AstraZeneca halts NSCLC trials of AZD9291 and durvalumab

Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has halted studies looking at the combination of two experimental drugs, AZD9291 and MEDI4736 (durvalumab) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Esra Erkal-Paler, a spokeswoman from AstraZeneca, said the decision was made after an increase in the incidence of interstitial lung disease-like reports in the CAURAL and TATTON studies. She said that patients enrolled will be given updated consent forms with this new information, allowing them to decide whether to continue their participation.

The company submitted AZD9291 to the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. The drug alone could generate peak annual sales of $3 billion, while durvalumab could make up to $6.5 billion annually but it has been considered that this newfound issue with the combination could have a knock-on effect in terms of combining with other therapies. Terence Flynn, an analyst with Goldman Sachs, said this may benefit Clovis Oncology, which is developing rociletinib, a similar therapy.