China has approved the drug AstraZeneca, Imfinzi, to treat aggressive types of lung cancer in adults, the group said on Monday, in a boost over its efforts to overcome the disease.
The use of drugs with chemotherapy for adult patients with extensive stage lung cancer (SCLC) is approved by the administration of Chinese national medical products, said Anglo-Sweden drug makers.
SCLC is a form of aggressive lung cancer that is usually recurrent and progress despite a response to chemotherapy.
Only about 3% of those who have extensive stage diseases that live beyond five years after diagnosis.
China’s approval comes after a positive result of the final stage trial, which shows that the drug, if used with chemotherapy, helps increase the survival of the patient as a whole compared to chemotherapy.
The results of the local trial also in harmony with global results, said AstraZeneca.
The drug maker also seeks to catch up with Roche Swiss rivals, which is Tecentriq approved in China and many other countries for the extensive SCLC stage.
Astrazeneca lung cancer portfolio includes various drugs including Imfinzi, which was approved in the United States and the European Union last year for a broad SCLC Stadium.
Imfinzi, which allows the immune system to detect and attack certain cancer cells, has been approved in many countries as a treatment for more general non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer accounts for about one fifth of all deaths from cancer and is the main cause of cancer death among men and women.