A new immunotherapy treatment for lung cancer developed by AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) has failed its final trial, though the pharma giant will push ahead with more combinations using the drug.
Selumetinib was tested in combination with docetaxel chemotherapy as a second-line treatment in patients with a specific type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The trial did not meet its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), and selumetinib did not have a significant effect on overall survival, said AstraZeneca.
It is the second final trial setback for selumetinib, which also failed to make significant difference to patients suffering from the rare eye cancer uveal melanoma despite also showing well in earlier trials.
AstraZeneca is still developing the drug for people suffering from differentiated thyroid cancer and neurofibromatosis type 1, where tumours attach themselves to nerve tissue.
Sean Bohen, global medicines development and chief medical officer at AstraZeneca, said the result was disappointing especially after promising results from the combination in the Phase II trial.
“We remain committed to further developing treatments in the lung cancer setting, such as our immunotherapy combinations and targeted EGFR treatments."
AstraZeneca licensed the Mek 1/2 inhibitor from US-listed Array BioPharma (NASDAQ:ARRY), which saw its shares crash 18% to US$3.63 on the diminishing prospect of future royalties from selumetinib after the two trial disappointments.
Data from the studies in the thyroid cancer and neurofibromatosis type 1 studies are due late next year.
Broker Shore Capital added that in oncology, AstraZeneca’s core focus has been on key pipeline assets including Tagrisso, Lynparza and immuno-oncology (IO) checkpoint inhibitors Durvalumab and Tremelimumab.
In NSCLC applications, it is looking towards the MYSTIC study next year, which investigates the combination of Durvalumab and Tremelimumab as a first-line therapy.
Astra’s announcement was the second disappointing outcome for NSCLC sufferers in the space of a week.
Bristol Myers Squibb lost a fifth of its value when it announced on Friday that its immunotherapy treatment Opdivo failed its primary endpoint of progression-free survival in its phase III trial for NSCLC.
Lung cancer is one of the hardest of all cancers to treat and Opdivo was tipped to have peak sales of between US$12-15bn.
Rival Merck got a major boost, however, as its lung cancer immunotherapy treatment Keytruda has passed its trials and been approved.
Shares in AstraZeneca eased 14p to 5,176p while in New York Array shed 18% to US$3.65.
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