AstraZeneca stomach cancer drug doubles survival in late-stage trial

AstraZeneca (AZN) said its experimental stomach cancer treatment doubled survival time in a late-stage clinical trial, strengthening prospects for a medicine the British drugmaker estimates could generate as much as $5 billion in annual sales.

The drug, sonesitatug vedotin, also known as sone-ve, extended survival by approximately five months compared with chemotherapy and other cancer treatments in patients whose disease had progressed despite earlier therapies, Bloomberg reported. The results were presented Sunday at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress.

For investors, the findings bolster AstraZeneca's oncology pipeline and its strategy of developing antibody-drug conjugates, which deliver cancer-killing agents directly to tumor cells. The company estimates peak annual sales of $3 billion to $5 billion for sone-ve, while Bloomberg Intelligence analysts previously projected potential revenue of $2.2 billion if the treatment demonstrated a meaningful survival benefit.

The strongest results were seen in patients who had already received two previous lines of treatment. Although the drug also improved overall survival in patients treated earlier, researchers said additional evidence would be needed before recommending its widespread use in that setting.

Sone-ve targets Claudin 18.2, a protein expressed in certain gastric cancers. Astellas Pharma's (ALPMY) Vyloy targets the same protein but requires higher levels of expression, potentially limiting the number of eligible patients. Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) is also developing a competing treatment, arcotatug tavatecan, which extended survival by more than three months in a separate stomach cancer trial.

Despite the survival improvement, sone-ve didn't demonstrate a significant benefit in delaying disease progression. AstraZeneca executives suggested that difficulties measuring tumor progression in gastric cancer could explain the discrepancy. Fewer patients discontinued sone-ve because of side effects than those receiving older treatments, while treatment-related deaths were roughly comparable.

AstraZeneca also presented late-stage results for a combination of its blockbuster lung cancer drug Tagrisso and Orpathys, developed with Hutchmed (HCM). The combination delayed disease progression by more than two months and extended overall survival by nearly five months compared with chemotherapy in patients with a difficult-to-treat form of non-small cell lung cancer.

The company is discussing the stomach cancer findings with health regulators as it seeks to expand its oncology portfolio. The results could strengthen AstraZeneca's competitive position in targeted cancer therapies, although regulatory approval and commercial adoption remain uncertain.

AstraZeneca (AZN) said its experimental stomach cancer treatment doubled survival time in a late-stage clinical trial, strengthening prospects for a medicine the British drugmaker estimates could generate as much as $5 billion in annual sales.

The drug, sonesitatug vedotin, also known as sone-ve, extended survival by approximately five months compared with chemotherapy and other cancer treatments in patients whose disease had progressed despite earlier therapies, Bloomberg reported. The results were presented Sunday at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress.

For investors, the findings bolster AstraZeneca's oncology pipeline and its strategy of developing antibody-drug conjugates, which deliver cancer-killing agents directly to tumor cells. The company estimates peak annual sales of $3 billion to $5 billion for sone-ve, while Bloomberg Intelligence analysts previously projected potential revenue of $2.2 billion if the treatment demonstrated a meaningful survival benefit.

The strongest results were seen in patients who had already received two previous lines of treatment. Although the drug also improved overall survival in patients treated earlier, researchers said additional evidence would be needed before recommending its widespread use in that setting.

Sone-ve targets Claudin 18.2, a protein expressed in certain gastric cancers. Astellas Pharma's (ALPMY) Vyloy targets the same protein but requires higher levels of expression, potentially limiting the number of eligible patients. Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) is also developing a competing treatment, arcotatug tavatecan, which extended survival by more than three months in a separate stomach cancer trial.

Despite the survival improvement, sone-ve didn't demonstrate a significant benefit in delaying disease progression. AstraZeneca executives suggested that difficulties measuring tumor progression in gastric cancer could explain the discrepancy. Fewer patients discontinued sone-ve because of side effects than those receiving older treatments, while treatment-related deaths were roughly comparable.

AstraZeneca also presented late-stage results for a combination of its blockbuster lung cancer drug Tagrisso and Orpathys, developed with Hutchmed (HCM). The combination delayed disease progression by more than two months and extended overall survival by nearly five months compared with chemotherapy in patients with a difficult-to-treat form of non-small cell lung cancer.

The company is discussing the stomach cancer findings with health regulators as it seeks to expand its oncology portfolio. The results could strengthen AstraZeneca's competitive position in targeted cancer therapies, although regulatory approval and commercial adoption remain uncertain.