FDA accepts supplemental BLA for AZ’s Imfinzi in certain lung cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced (Stage III) unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed following platinum-based chemoradiation therapy. The FDA has granted Imfinzi Priority Review status.

The company said that the US FDA sBLA submission acceptance is an important milestone for Imfinzi in a disease state where patients need better treatment options and outcomes. Currently, the standard of care for patients with this earlier stage of lung disease is active monitoring following concurrent chemoradiation.

The sBLA submission is based on positive progression-free survival (PFS) data from the Phase III PACIFIC trial. The trial continues to evaluate overall survival (OS), its other primary endpoint. Detailed results of the PACIFIC trial, including additional safety information, were published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

On 28 September 2017, the US NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) were updated to include Imfinzi for the treatment of patients with locally-advanced unresectable NSCLC with no disease progression after two or more cycles of definitive chemoradiation, based on the data from the PACIFIC Phase III trial. This indication is not yet FDA-approved.