AstraZeneca's immunotherapy drug wins key lung cancer approval

London

ASTRAZENECA'S immunotherapy drug Imfinzi has won crucial approval from US regulators for use in lung cancer, opening up a multibillion-dollar market for a medicine that has so far lagged behind competitors.

The US Food and Drug Administration said late on Friday that it granted approval for expanded use of Imfinzi to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with inoperable mid-stage disease that has not spread widely around the body.

Imfinzi is the first immunotherapy to be approved in this setting. The green light - which had been expected following positive clinical data last year - gives AstraZeneca a chance to intervene earlier in lung cancer, distinguishing it from rivals that have appr…