Deals
Mystic Study Success Could Put Astra Ahead in Cancer Revolution
- Merck, Roche, Bristol-Myers and Pfizer have competing drugs
- Astra’s highly anticipated Mystic data is due shortly
An AstraZeneca logo at their offices near Cambridge, U.K.
Photographer: Jason Alden/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Test results for AstraZeneca Plc’s next-generation cancer therapy -- among the most anticipated in the pharmaceutical industry this year -- stand to reorder of dominance in a field led by Merck & Co.
The U.K. drugmaker aims to show that Imfinzi, poised to become Astra’s biggest medicine by sales, was better than chemotherapy in checking the growth of lung tumors in a study dubbed Mystic. The results, due mid-year, could give it an edge in immuno-therapies -- a new class of drugs that activate the body’s defense system to attack tumors -- over rivals including Merck, Roche Holding AG and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.