In a normal immune response, the body can recognize the presence of tumors and mount a response to eradicate them. The process of eradicating a tumor begins with antigen-presenting cells that gather and process the antigens released by tumors. This activates the T cells, which proliferate and attack the tumor.
Tumors have learned to evade the normal immune response by exploiting the immune checkpoint pathway. The programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) is a checkpoint protein expressed on the membrane of activated T cells. The programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and the programmed death ligand-2 (PD-L2) are checkpoint proteins expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. When PD-L1 and PD-L2 attach to PD-1 receptors on the T cells, the T cells become inhibited and will not attack the tumor; thus, the tumor can continue to proliferate.
Durvalumab (Imfinzi) is a human monoclonal antibody and immune checkpoint inhibitor that binds to PD-L1 on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells and blocks the interaction with PD-1 and B7.1 receptors on T cells and antigen-presenting cells. Consequently, the tumor is no longer able to inactivate the T cells and the antitumor response continues.
Cancers develop multiple strategies to evade immune detection and destruction by T cells. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytic–associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) is a coinhibitory molecule that functions to inhibit T-cell activation. Antibodies that block the interaction of CTLA-4 with its ligands B7.1 and B7.2 can enhance immune responses, including antitumor immunity. Tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo) is a CTLA-4–blocking antibody allowing T cells to proliferate and attack the tumor.
DURVALUMAB (IMFINZI) WITH OR WITHOUT TREMELIMUMAB-ACTL (IMJUDO) INDICATIONS
BILIARY TRACT CANCERS
On September 2, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin, as treatment for adults with locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancers.
TOPAZ-1 (NCT03875235) was a multicenter, quadruple-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study in which treatment-naïve individuals with unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancers, or individuals with recurrent disease, were randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive either durvalumab (Imfinzi) or placebo, in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin, followed by durvalumab (Imfinzi) or placebo as monotherapy, until there was either disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR).
A total of 685 individuals were randomly assigned to either durvalumab (Imfinzi) (n=341) or placebo (n=344) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin. At the time of data cutoff, 198 participants (58.1 percent) in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 226 participants (65.7 percent) in the placebo cohort had died. The median OS was 12.8 months in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 11.5 months in the placebo cohort (P=0.021). Median PFS was 7.2 months in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 5.7 months in the placebo cohort (P=0.001). The ORR was 26.7 percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 18.7 percent in the placebo cohort. The median DOR at 12 months was 26.1 percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 15.0 percent in the placebo cohort. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 adverse events was 75.7 percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort and 77.8 percent in the placebo cohort.
BLADDER
CANCER
On March
28, 2025, the FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination with gemcitabine
and cisplatin as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by single-agent durvalumab (Imfinzi), as
adjuvant treatment following radical
cystectomy, for the treatment of adults with muscle invasive bladder cancer
(MIBC).
The
efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi) in combination with gemcitabine and
cisplatin was evaluated in the NIAGARA clinical trial (NCT03732677). The study
was phase III, randomized, multicenter, and open labeled. A total of 533
individuals were randomly assigned to receive durvalumab (Imfinzi) with chemotherapy
and 530 to chemotherapy only. A key primary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS).
A key secondary endpoint was OS. The EFS at 24 months was 67.8 percent in the
durvalumab (Imfinzi) with chemotherapy group versus 59.8 percent in the
chemotherapy only group (the hazard ratio [HR] for progression, recurrence, not
undergoing a radical cystectomy, or death from any cause was 0.68; 95 percent
confidence interval [CI] 0.56–0.82; P<0.001). The OS at 24 months was 82.2
percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) with chemotherapy group versus 75.2 percent
in the chemotherapy only group (the HR for death was 0.75; 95 percent CI, 0.59–0.93; P=0.01). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were approximately equal between
the two cohorts.
ENDOMETRIAL
CARCINOMA
On June
14, 2024, the FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) in combination with
carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by durvalumab (Imfinzi) as a single agent,
for the treatment of adults with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial
cancer that is mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).
The
efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi) in combination with carboplatin
and paclitaxel was evaluated in the DUO-E clinical trial (NCT04269200). The
study was phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled.
Of the 875 individuals enrolled in the study, 95 were in a subgroup of
individuals that had dMMR tumors. The primary endpoint was PFS up to 4 years.
Key secondary endpoints included ORR and DOR. At the time of data cutoff, the median
PFS had not been reached in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) population, but was 7
months in the control arm. The ORR in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) population was
71.4 percent (95 percent CI, 55.4–84.3; 12 percent complete response [CR], 18
percent partial response [PR]). The median DOR was not reached in the
durvalumab (Imfinzi) population, but was 10.5 months in the control arm. No new safety concerns were identified.
HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA
On October 21, 2022, the FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination with tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo), for the treatment of adults with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Single Tremelimumab Regular Interval Durvalumab (STRIDE) regimen consists of a single dose of tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo), plus durvalumab (Imfinzi), followed by durvalumab (Imfinzi) every 4 weeks.
Approval of the combination regimen was based on the results from the phase III, multicenter, open-label HIMALAYA trial (NCT03298451), in which a total of 1171 participants were randomly assigned to durvalumab (Imfinzi; arm 1; n=389), STRIDE (arm 2; n=393), or the standard of care treatment, sorafenib (Nexavar; arm 3; n=389). The primary endpoint was OS in arm 2 versus arm 3. Secondary endpoints included OS in arm 1 versus arm 3, PFS, time to progression (TTP), ORR, and DOR.
The median OS was 16.56 months in arm 1, 16.43 months in arm 2, and 13.77 months in arm 3. PFS was 3.65 months in arm 1, 3.78 months in arm 2, and 4.07 months in arm 3. The median TTP was 3..8 months in arm 1, 5.4 months in arm 2, and 5.6 months in arm 3. The ORR was 17 percent in arm 1, 20.1 percent in arm 2, and 3.1 percent in arm 3. The median DOR was 16.8 months in arm 1, 22.3 months in arm 2, and 18.4 months in arm 3.
NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER
On February 16, 2018, the FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) for individuals with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
The efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi) was evaluated in the PACIFIC study (NCT02125461), a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study in individuals with unresectable stage III NSCLC who completed at least two cycles of concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and definitive radiation within 42 days prior to initiation of the study drug and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0 or 1. Individuals were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive durvalumab (Imfinzi) or placebo every 2 weeks for up to a year or until unacceptable toxicity or confirmed progression. The primary efficacy endpoints were PFS and OS. Secondary endpoints included ORR and DOR.
A total of 713 individuals underwent randomization. A total of 473 individuals received durvalumab (Imfinzi) and 236 individuals received placebo. As of the interim analysis, the median follow-up was 25.2 months. The 24-month OS rate was 66.3 versus 55.6 percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) group versus the placebo group (P=0.005). The median PFS was 17.2 versus 5.6 months in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) group versus the placebo group. The ORR was 30 versus 17.8 percent of individuals who attained a complete or partial response in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) group versus the placebo group. The total number of individuals who sustained a grade 3 or 4 adverse event was 30.5 versus 26.1 percent in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) group versus the placebo group.
On November 10, 2022, the FDA approved tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo), in combination with durvalumab (Imfinzi) and platinum-based chemotherapy, for the treatment of adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genomic tumor aberrations.
The efficacy and safety of tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo), in combination with durvalumab (Imfinzi) and platinum-based chemotherapy, was evaluated in the phase III POSEIDON study (NCT03164616), a randomized, multicenter, open-label comparative study for first-line treatment in individuals with mNSCLC. The POSEIDON study evaluated tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo) plus durvalumab (Imfinzi) and chemotherapy (arm 1) versus durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus chemotherapy (arm 2) versus chemotherapy alone (arm 3) as first-line treatment for mNSCLC. Participants (n=1013) with EGFR/ALK wild-type mNSCLC were randomized (1:1:1) to the three arms. The primary endpoints were PFS and OS in arm 2 versus arm 3. Secondary endpoints included PFS and OS for arm 1 versus arm 3, ORR, and DOR.
The median PFS was significantly improved in arm 2 versus arm 3 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95 percent CI, 0.62–0.89; P=0.0009; 5.5 vs. 4.8 months). Although median OS in arm 2 was better than in arm 3, it did not reach statistical significance (HR, 0.86; 95 percent CI, 0.72–1.02; P=0.0758; 13.3 vs. 11.7 months). The median 24-month OS for arm 2 versus arm 3 was 29.6 versus 22.1 percent. The median PFS for arm 1 versus arm 3 was 6.2 versus 4.8 months (HR, 0.72; 95 percent CI, 0.60–0.86; P=0.0003). The median OS for arm 1 versus arm 3 was 14.0 versus 11.7 months (HR, 0.77; 95 percent CI, 0.65–0.92; P=0.0030). The 24-month OS was significantly improved in arm 1 versus arm 3, (32.9 vs. 22.1 percent). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) were maximum grade 3 or 4 in 51.8, 44.6, and 44.4 percent of participants in arm 1, arm 2, and arm 3, respectively. The percentage of participants that discontinued treatment due to TRAEs was 15.5, 14.1, and 9.9 percent, in arm 1, arm 2, and arm 3, respectively.
On August
15, 2024, the FDA granted approval for durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination
with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by durvalumab
(Imfinzi) continued as a single agent as adjuvant treatment after surgery, for
the treatment of adults with resectable (tumors 4 cm or greater and/or node
positive) NSCLC and no known EGFR mutations or ALK rearrangements.
The efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi), in
combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was evaluated in the AEGEAN clinical
trial (NCT03800134). The study was phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blinded,
and placebo controlled. A total of 400 individuals were randomized to treatment
with durvalumab (Imfinzi) and 402 to placebo. The primary endpoints were EFS and
pathologic complete response (pCR). At the 12-month analysis, EFS was observed
in 73.4 percent of the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort versus 64.5 percent in the
control cohort. The incidence of pCR in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) cohort was
17.2 percent versus 4.3 percent in the control cohort (difference 13.0, 95
percent CI, 8.7 to 17.6; P<0.001). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were
approximately equal between the two cohorts.
SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER
On March 27, 2020, the FDA granted approval for durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination with etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin, as first-line treatment of individuals with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).
The efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi), in combination with etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin, in previously untreated ES-SCLC was evaluated in the CASPIAN study (NCT03043872), a randomized, multicenter, active-controlled, phase III, open-label trial. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three arms. Individuals in arm 1 received durvalumab (Imfinzi), tremelimumab-actl (Imjudo), a platinum-containing chemotherapy (either carboplatin or cisplatin), and etoposide. Individuals in arm 2 received durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus a platinum-containing chemotherapy (either carboplatin or cisplatin), and etoposide. Individuals in arm 3 received a platinum-containing chemotherapy (either carboplatin or cisplatin) and etoposide. The primary endpoint was OS in arm 1 versus arm 3 and arm 2 versus arm 3. Secondary endpoints were PFS and ORR.
A total of 805 individuals underwent randomization: 268 individuals in arm 1, 268 individuals in arm 2, and 269 individuals in arm 3. The OS was 10.4 months in arm 1 versus 12.9 months in arm 2 versus 10.5 months in arm 3. Median PFS was 4.9 months in arm 1 versus 5.1 months in arm 2 versus 5.4 months in arm 3. The ORR was 74.2 percent in arm 1 versus 79.5 percent in arm 2 versus 70.6 percent in arm 3.
On
December 4, 2024, the FDA granted approval for durvalumab (Imfinzi), as a
single agent, for the treatment of adult patients with limited-stage small cell
lung cancer (LS-SCLC) whose disease has not progressed following concurrent
platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
The
efficacy and safety of durvalumab (Imfinzi) was evaluated in the ADRIATIC
clinical trial (NCT03703297). The study was phase III, randomized, multicenter,
double-blinded, and placebo controlled. A total of 264 individuals were
randomly assigned to receive durvalumab (Imfinzi) and 266 to placebo. The coprimary
endpoints were OS and PFS. The median OS in the durvalumab (Imfinzi) group was
55.9 months versus 33.4 months in the control group (HR 0.73, 95 percent CI
0.57–0.93; P=0.0104). The median PFS in the durvalumab group was 16.6 months
versus 9.2 months in the control group (HR 0.76, 95 percent CI, 0.61–0.95;
P=0.0161). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were approximately equal between the two
cohorts.