Imfinzi Approved as First Immunotherapy for Stomach Cancer on UK NHS
AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy drug Imfinzi (durvalumab) has received recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to become the first immunotherapy available for stomach cancer patients on the UK National Health Service (NHS). The approval targets adults with gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction cancers that have not spread extensively and are eligible for surgery. This decision follows positive results from the Phase III MATTERHORN trial, which showed that combining Imfinzi with standard FLOT chemotherapy significantly improved event-free survival and reduced the risk of death by 22% compared to chemotherapy alone. Approximately 69% of patients on the combination regimen were alive at three years, versus 62% in the control group. The approval utilizes a new streamlined pathway between NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), allowing access just 17 days after marketing authorization. Gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death globally, with poor prognosis rates in the UK. Helen Knight, NICE’s director of medicines evaluation, emphasized the urgent need for treatments that extend life quality and length for this aggressive disease.
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