PARIS (Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Monday that a late-stage lung cancer treatment has slowed the progression of the disease, but analysts fear the drug’s benefits may not be so great. announced, significantly lowering the title of the pharmaceutical group on the stock market.
The drug developed jointly with the Japanese group Daiichi Sankyo, named datopotamab deruxtecan, prolongs the period of remission compared to conventional chemotherapy for patients with relapses, AstraZeneca said.
The group also said there had been “a few” cases of grade 5 interstitial lung disease, a level that Jefferies analysts say is fatal. AstraZeneca said testing would continue as planned to assess the drug’s effect on overall patient survival, another important measure of effectiveness.
On the London Stock Exchange, AstraZeneca shares were down 5.81% at 09:40 GMT, to a three-month low.
According to Barclays, the clinical trial was successful but in the absence of more data, it should fuel fears among some investors and analysts about the drug’s potential as a first-line treatment for the disease after it is diagnosed.
The British bank wants to be confident and indicates that it will consider “any negative reaction today as a buying opportunity”.
(Report Maggie Fick, Ludwig Burger, French version Corentin Chapron, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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