ESMO 2021 – Astra coasts towards a new lung cancer combo

Imfinzi is the standard of care for post-chemo stage III non-small cell lung cancer, but rivals have been snapping at its heels for some time. Data presented at Esmo last week might give Imfinzi a new edge in this setting, thanks to combination approaches.

An interim analysis of the mid-stage Coast trial showed that adding Astra’s own anti-CD73 antibody oleclumab, or the Innate Pharma-originated anti-NKG2A monalizumab, to Imfinzi boosted response rates and progression-free survival. Astra is already looking beyond NSCLC with these new mechanisms, and other anti-CD73 developers are also riding high.