AstraZeneca drug gets breakthrough status in early lung cancer

[July 31, 2017] LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca said on Monday its immunotherapy drug Imfinzi had been granted "breakthrough" designation by U.S. regulators for treating non-metastatic lung cancer, following the success of the so-called Pacific trial.

The Food and Drug Administration decision paves the way for a speedy regulatory review and confirms the drug's potential in earlier stage disease, despite its initial failure in the key Mystic trial, which targeted the bigger advanced cancer market.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by Louise Heavens)

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