Amgen Combo Slashes Death Risk in Aggressive Lung Cancer by 58%

WHO:

IJR - Amgen’s Imdelltra and AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi were studied as a combination for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

CNBC - Dr. Paul Burton, Amgen’s chief medical officer, said the results could transform the standard of care.

CNBC - Dr. Jacob Sands, lead trial investigator and associate chief of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discussed the disease and trial results.

WHAT:

IJR - A Phase 3 trial found that adding Imdelltra to Imfinzi as maintenance therapy reduced the risk of death by 58%; median survival was 21.1 months, compared with 12.7 months with Imfinzi alone.

CNBC - Full results from a late-stage trial found that the combination reduced the risk of death by 58% among patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

CNBC - Half of the patients receiving the combination were alive for at least roughly 21 months, based on the reported median overall survival of 21.1 months.

CNBC - The combination delayed disease progression, according to IJR; serious treatment-related side effects were more common than with Imfinzi alone.

CNBC - Imdelltra sales were $288 million in the second quarter, up 115% year over year; the drug generated $627 million in global sales in 2025.

CNBC - Sands said trial benefits appeared across patient subgroups, including patients whose cancer had spread to the brain or liver.

CNBC - Sands said longer follow-up could change the 21-month survival figure and that he hoped it would “substantially improve.”

CNBC - In an interview, Burton said the data were “so profound that it's going to transform the standard of care for patients,” and that the combination could “almost convert [one of the most aggressive cancers] into a chronic disease.”

WHERE:

CNBC - The article identified the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and described Amgen headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California.

WHY:

CNBC - Small cell lung cancer is difficult to treat because it often returns or progresses within months, even when chemotherapy initially works well.

CNBC - Sands said immunotherapy has provided years of disease control for a small subset of patients, while most have not experienced similarly durable benefits, underscoring the need for better treatments.

HOW:

CNBC - The trial tested Imdelltra as maintenance therapy after patients received initial treatment with Imfinzi and chemotherapy and their cancer had not progressed.

IJR - The combination was compared with Imfinzi alone.

CNBC - The article reported roughly 31,000 new small cell lung cancer cases in the United States annually; an estimated 60% to 70% of those patients are diagnosed with extensive-stage disease.

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 01:28 UTC)

A phase three trial found that adding Amgen’s Imdelltra to AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi as maintenance therapy reduced the risk of death by 58% for people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Patients had first received Imfinzi and chemotherapy without their cancer progressing. Median overall survival reached 21.1 months with the combination, compared with 12.7 months on Imfinzi alone, and the treatment also delayed disease progression. Trial investigator Dr. Jacob Sands said benefits appeared across patient groups, including those whose cancer had spread to the brain or liver. He cautioned that longer follow-up could change the survival estimate. Serious treatment-related side effects were more common with the combination. Small cell lung cancer often returns or progresses within months, leaving a strong need for better treatments. Amgen chief medical officer Dr. Paul Burton said the results could transform the standard of care.