Amgen drug combo cuts lung cancer death risk by 58%, trial shows

Combination therapy extends survival for patients with aggressive small cell lung cancer

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published24 October 2026

Read Time3 min

A late-stage trial has found that adding Amgen's immunotherapy Imdelltra to AstraZeneca's Imfinzi reduced the risk of death by 58% in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, extending median overall survival to 21.1 months compared with 12.7 months on Imfinzi alone. The results, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, suggest a potential shift in standard of care for this fast-growing disease.

The combination was tested as maintenance therapy in patients who had received initial treatment with Imfinzi and chemotherapy and whose cancer had not progressed. Amgen reported that nearly 80% of patients taking both drugs were alive at one year, versus 53% on Imfinzi alone.

Dr. Paul Burton, Amgen's chief medical officer, described the data as transformative. "I think there are moments in medicine when you see a piece of data that is so profound that it's going to transform the standard of care for patients," he said in an interview. He added that the combination "has the potential to take on one of the most aggressive cancers that we deal with today, and almost convert it into a chronic disease."

The lead trial investigator, Dr. Jacob Sands, associate chief of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, noted that small cell lung cancer remains difficult to treat because the disease often returns or progresses within months, even after initial chemotherapy. He said immunotherapy has helped a small subset of patients achieve years of disease control, but most have not experienced durable benefits. Sands said the benefits in the trial were seen across subgroups, including patients whose cancer had spread to the brain or liver, and that the 21-month figure may improve with longer follow-up, as seen in an earlier phase 1 trial.

Imdelltra works by binding to DLL3 on cancer cells and CD3 on T cells, bringing T cells into direct contact with cancer. Imfinzi blocks PD-L1, helping to remove the brakes on the immune response. The study did not test whether the combination was better than other first-line approaches, but it suggests Amgen's drug could be an option offered earlier in treatment.

Kate Brenan, a 44-year-old patient from Denver, was diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer in January 2024. She started Imdelltra in September 2024 and has had no evidence of disease since. "I think that it's remarkable how quickly things are changing in the world of small cancer treatment options," she told CNBC. "Imdelltra potentially becoming an earlier treatment option can only be a good thing for the patients moving forward, and I really excited about that," she added.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The trial results could transform the standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, offering a potential shift from a rapidly fatal disease to a chronic condition.
There are roughly 31,000 new small cell lung cancer cases in the US each year, with 60 to 70% diagnosed at extensive stage, meaning many patients could benefit.
The data also boosts Amgen's Imdelltra toward blockbuster status, with $288 million in Q2 sales and $627 million globally in 2025.

Background

Small cell lung cancer is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. Even when initial chemotherapy works, the disease often returns within months. Imdelltra is currently approved only for patients who have progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy. The new trial tested it earlier, as part of first-line maintenance therapy.

Key Perspectives

Dr. Paul Burton: Says the data is "so profound that it's going to transform the standard of care" and that the combination "has the potential to take on one of the most aggressive cancers we deal with today and convert it into a chronic disease", with Imdelltra positioned as an "indispensable backbone therapy". Dr. Jacob Sands: Describes the disease as notoriously aggressive and highlights the need for better treatments. He says the benefits appeared across all subgroups, including brain and liver metastases, and expects the survival figure to improve with longer follow-up. Kate Brenan: A patient on Imdelltra since September 2024, she has had no evidence of disease and calls the potential earlier use "remarkable" and "can only be a good thing for the patients moving forward."

What to Watch

Longer-term follow-up data from this trial, which could push median survival higher.
Regulatory decisions that may expand Imdelltra's approved use to maintenance therapy earlier in treatment.
Sales growth for Imdelltra, which could confirm its blockbuster status.

Sources

Amgen says drug combo cuts risk of death by 58% in patients with aggressive lung cancer · CNBC

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe Amgen drug combination cuts the risk of death from lung cancer by 58%.US Top News and Analysis: “adding Amgen's immunotherapy Imdelltra to AstraZeneca's Imfinzi drug slashed the risk of death by 58% in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer”
SupportedThe combination extended median overall survival to 21.1 months, compared with 12.7 months on Imfinzi alone.US Top News and Analysis: “The drug combination extended their median overall survival to 21.1 months compared with 12.7 months with AstraZeneca's drug alone”
SupportedThe results suggest a potential shift in the standard of care for small cell lung cancer.US Top News and Analysis: “I think there are moments in medicine when you see a piece of data that is so profound that it's going to transform the standard of care for patients”
SupportedDr. Paul Burton said, “I think there are moments in medicine when you see a piece of data that is so profound that it's going to transform the standard of care for patients.”US Top News and Analysis: “said Dr. Paul Burton, Amgen's chief medical officer, in an interview.”
SupportedBurton said the combination “has the potential to take on one of the most aggressive cancers that we deal with today, and almost convert it into a chronic disease.”US Top News and Analysis: “The combination "has the potential to take on one of the most aggressive cancers that we deal with today, and almost convert it into a chronic disease," he said”
SupportedThe trial tested the combination as maintenance therapy after initial treatment with Imfinzi and chemotherapy, in patients whose cancer had not progressed.US Top News and Analysis: “The trial tested the combo as a maintenance therapy in patients who received initial treatment with Imfinzi and chemotherapy, and whose cancer had not progressed.”
SupportedNearly 80% of patients taking both drugs were alive at one year, versus 53% on Imfinzi alone.US Top News and Analysis: “Amgen said nearly 80% of patients who started taking both drugs were alive at one year compared with 53% receiving Imfinzi alone.”
SupportedSands said trial benefits were seen across subgroups, including patients whose cancer had spread to the brain or liver.US Top News and Analysis: “Sands said the benefits in the trial were seen across subgroups of patients, including those whose cancer spread to the brain or liver.”
Partly supportedSands said the 21-month figure may improve with longer follow-up, as seen in an earlier phase 1 trial.US Top News and Analysis: “He added that with longer-term follow-up data on the patients, the 21-month figure "may evolve further and hopefully will substantially improve," similar to what Amgen saw in a Phase 1 trial”
Partly supportedBrenan said, “Imdelltra potentially becoming an earlier treatment option can only be a good thing for the patients moving forward, and I really excited about that.”US Top News and Analysis: “"can only be a good thing for the patients moving forward, and I'm really excited about that."”
SupportedImdelltra binds to DLL3 on cancer cells and CD3 on T cells, bringing T cells into contact with cancer cells.US Top News and Analysis: “By binding to both, Imdelltra brings T cells into close contact with tumor cells, helping the immune system destroy the cancer.”
SupportedThe study did not test whether the combination was better than other first-line treatment approaches, but the findings suggest Imdelltra could be offered earlier in treatment.US Top News and Analysis: “The study, which was presented at a major cancer meeting called the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, did not test whether the combination was better than other first-line treatment approaches. Still, the findings suggest Amgen's drug could be another option offered to small cell lung cancer patients earlier in their treatment.”