Imfinzi has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) in combination with chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus cisplatin).

The approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on the results from the TOPAZ-1 Phase III trial. In an interim analysis of TOPAZ-1, Imfinzi plus chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 20% versus chemotherapy alone. An estimated one in four (25%) patients treated with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy were still alive at two years compared to one in 10 (10%) treated with chemotherapy alone. Results were consistent across all pre-specified subgroups, regardless of PD-L1 expression or tumor location.

“For the first time, patients in the US with advanced biliary tract cancer have an immunotherapy-based treatment option that meaningfully extends survival and is well-tolerated. This approval for Imfinzi and chemotherapy advances our ambition to challenge treatment expectations and transform care for patients with gastrointestinal cancers with high unmet need,” says Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca.

TOPAZ-1 results

In July 2022, Imfinzi plus chemotherapy was added to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) as a Category 1 preferred regimen as 1st-line therapy for locally advanced or metastatic BTC based on the data from TOPAZ-1.

The US regulatory submission for TOPAZ-1 was reviewed under Project Orbis, which provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology medicines among participating international partners. As part of Project Orbis, Imfinzi plus chemotherapy is also under regulatory review for the same indication by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), Health Canada, Israel’s Ministry of Health Pharmaceutical Administration, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority, Switzerland’s Swissmedic and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The approval was granted after securing Priority Review and Orphan Drug Designation for Imfinzi in the US in this setting. Regulatory applications are also currently under review in Europe, Japan and several other countries based on the TOPAZ-1 results.

Photo of Dave Fredrickson: AstraZeneca