AstraZeneca's Volrustomig Fails to Outperform Keytruda in Lung Cancer Trial

AstraZeneca has terminated its Phase III trial for volrustomig in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after an independent monitoring committee concluded that it was unlikely to outperform Keytruda, Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy.

The eVOLVE-Lung02 study enrolled 895 participants across 25 countries and evaluated volrustomig combined with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1 at levels below 50 percent. However, the committee determined that the combination was unlikely to meet its primary endpoints: progression-free survival or overall survival in patients with PD-L1-negative tumors.

No unexpected safety signals emerged from the study, but AstraZeneca's shares edged higher on the news, climbing roughly 1 percent during trading. The company has faced a string of clinical setbacks this year, including the failure of Wainua to outperform placebo in the Phase III CARDIO-TTRansform study and a U.S. regulatory rejection of the breast cancer therapy camizestrant.

AstraZeneca maintains its ambitious target of $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, despite these setbacks. The company expects to launch up to 20 novel medications over the coming years, driven by strong sales in its oncology and rare disease portfolios.