Positive news about one of its breast cancer drugs handed AstraZeneca a boost yesterday
A late-stage clinical trial showed that the FTSE 100 pharmaceutical firm’s Enhertu drug caused a ‘statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement’ in the survival rates of those with metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic, also known as stage IV breast cancer, is when the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, usually the liver, brain, bones or lungs.
Positive results: A late-stage trial showed Astrazeneca’s Enhertu drug caused a ‘clinically meaningful improvement’ in the survival rates of people with metastatic breast cancer
This type of cancer is not curable. However, it can be controlled through various treatments such as chemotherapy to allow patients to live longer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world and caused around 685,000 deaths globally in 2020.
In the UK, it causes around 11,500 deaths each year, or 32 every day, according to data from Cancer Research UK.
AstraZeneca, which developed Enhertu alongside Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo, flagged that the drug was the first of its kind to show a benefit in patients with metastatic breast cancer, which accounts for around 55 per cent of all breast cancer sufferers.
Susan Galbraith, the company’s executive vice president for oncology research and development, added that the results ‘could reshape how breast cancer is classified and treated’.
Analysts at broker Liberum said the results will ‘open up a multi-billion dollar sales opportunity’ for Enhertu, which they expected to become ‘a major drug in the treatment of breast cancer’.
Investment bank UBS was similarly upbeat, saying the data ‘opens the door wide’ for the company’s growth beyond 2025.
AstraZeneca shares jumped 4 per cent, or 349p, to 9150p following the news.
The share price has surged by 27 per cent over the last 12 months.
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