AstraZeneca halts late-stage lung cancer trial of volrustomig after disappointing interim results

AstraZeneca announced it is stopping a Phase 3 study of its bispecific antibody volrustomig in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after an interim analysis showed the drug is unlikely to meet its primary goals.

The eVOLVE-Lung02 trial compared volrustomig plus chemotherapy with Merck’s Keytruda plus chemotherapy in patients whose tumors have PD-L1 expression below 50%. An independent data monitoring committee recommended termination because progression-free survival and overall survival endpoints appeared unattainable.

The company expressed disappointment but said it will learn from the outcome. No detailed efficacy or safety data were released.

Despite the setback, AstraZeneca plans to continue other Phase 3 volrustomig programs targeting mesothelioma, cervical cancer and head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma.