AstraZeneca announced that its investigational ATR kinase inhibitor, ceralasertib, did not improve overall survival in a Phase III clinical trial for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The late-stage LATIFY trial evaluated ceralasertib in combination with AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy Imfinzi, comparing the duo to standard chemotherapy in patients whose disease had advanced after prior immunotherapy and chemotherapy. These patients did not have actionable gene alterations.
Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of Oncology Hematology R&D at AstraZeneca, stated that the company was aiming to “reinvigorate the immune response” in this patient group. While AstraZeneca did not disclose full results from the study, it reported that the combination therapy was generally well tolerated and its safety profile aligned with previous research. More detailed data are expected to be presented at future medical meetings.
Ceralasertib is a key part of AstraZeneca’s strategy to reach $80 billion in revenue by 2030. The drug targets ATR kinase, which is involved in DNA damage response and cell survival. By inhibiting this pathway and combining it with immunotherapy like Imfinzi, the goal is to activate the immune system against cancer cells.
AstraZeneca referenced earlier findings from its Phase II HUDSON trial that suggested promising efficacy for the ceralasertib-Imfinzi combination in a similar patient population. Additionally, previous early-phase studies showed a 36.4% overall response rate when ceralasertib was combined with Enhertu in patients with HER2-expressing tumors. Ceralasertib is also being tested as part of a Phase II trial targeting solid tumors.
The company recently entered into a $2 billion agreement with Jacobio Pharma of China for development of a pan-KRAS inhibitor.
