Pharma: Astra Zenecas Brustkrebspille scheitert in entscheidender Studie

Astra Zeneca's breast cancer drug Camizestrant failed a critical study, failing to delay the disease's progression compared to standard treatment, the company announced on Friday. The drug, which targets estrogen binding to cancer cells to prevent growth, did not achieve its goal of delaying tumor recurrence or growth in patients whose breast cancer had recurred or spread but had not yet received treatment.

Astra Zeneca stated that the data would be published at a later date. The disappointing result could dampen optimism for the medication. Another experimental breast cancer drug, Giredestrant from Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, also failed in a similar trial earlier this year. Camizestrant is a hormone therapy aimed at preventing estrogen from binding to cancer cells and promoting their growth.

In a previous study involving women with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, Camizestrant, sold under the brand name Etcamah, delayed disease progression by more than six months when combined with other cancer drugs. The medication is already approved in the European Union for this type of breast cancer. Astra Zeneca tested Camizestrant in combination with the older cancer drug Palbociclib to assess its effectiveness in a larger patient group.

The drug received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on data from a smaller patient group on September 4. The U.S. drug regulator gave the medication a potential annual sales value of more than five billion dollars. Analysts estimate the drug's sales at around two billion dollars by 2031. Success in the current patient group could have generated nearly two billion dollars in additional revenue, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Tonia Kefala Stavridi and John Murphy.