On the 21st of August 2019, AstraZenceca revealed it had suffered a setback, as Durvalumab (tradename Imfinzi) was shown to be no more effective than chemotherapy at treating advanced Lung Cancer.

It had been seen as a potentially breakthrough treatment, especially in combination with other immunotherapy treatments.

The results of their ‘Neptune’ trial, which tested Durvalumab in combination with Tremelimumab medicine, did not improve overall patient survival, compared with standard chemotherapy.

However, the pharmaceutical giant vowed to continue its vital work. It’s vice-president of oncology and research development, José Baselga maintained they were, ‘fully committed to a deep analysis of the vast clinical and biomarker data from this trial to gain further insights.

Indeed, AstraZeneca is still testing Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy and other drugs, as immunotherapy continues to boom.

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