AstraZeneca said its immunotherapy Imfinzi (durvalumab) has been recommended for approval in the European Union as part of a perioperative treatment regimen for patients with resectable, early-stage and locally advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers. The positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s CHMP is based on results from the Phase III MATTERHORN trial, which showed a 29% reduction in the risk of disease progression, recurrence or death and a 22% reduction in the risk of death compared with chemotherapy alone.

If approved, the Imfinzi-based regimen would become the first immunotherapy-based perioperative treatment for this patient population in the EU, potentially setting a new standard of care in early gastric and gastroesophageal cancers.