AstraZeneca's immunotherapy drug gets US FDA nod for lung cancer treatment

US FDA granted approval for expanded use of Imfinzi to treat non-small cell lung cancer patients

AstraZeneca’simmunotherapy 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 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,