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AstraZeneca (AZN.L, AZN.ST) reported two key developments on Monday: another win for Imfinzi in the European Union and its start of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
In the EU, the British pharmaceutical giant’s Imfinzi perioperative regimen was recommended for treating adults with resectable, early-stage, and locally advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers. The regimen adds Imfinzi to the standard-of-care fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel chemotherapy before surgery.
The positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is supported by the Matterhorn phase 3 trial, in which a final overall survival analysis showed that patients on the Imfinzi regimen saw a 22% reduction in the risk of death versus those receiving chemotherapy alone.
“Imfinzi plus FLOT demonstrated a durable, increasing long-term survival benefit in the MATTERHORN trial, with more than two-thirds of patients alive at three years. The CHMP recommendation marks further progress toward our goal to offer novel approaches in early-stage cancers where there is the greatest chance for cure and brings us closer to providing the third perioperative Imfinzi-based regimen in the EU,” Oncology Hematology Research and Development Executive Vice President Susan Galbraith said.
In data cited by the British pharmaceutical company, gastric cancer is ranked as the fifth leading cause of cancer death globally, with nearly one million new patients every year. While 43,000 people were treated for early-stage gastric cancer across the US, EU, and Japan in 2024, the patient number in these regions is projected to reach 62,000 by 2030.
In a separate same-day release, AstraZeneca said it finalized the transfer of its US listing from the Nasdaq Stock Market to the NYSE. Trading under the ticker AZN, the company’s shares are now listed across New York, London, and Stockholm bourses.
“Today marks the start of an exciting new period for AstraZeneca, one which we believe gives broader access to the largest capital market in the world. This will allow even more investors to participate in AstraZeneca’s future. Our harmonised listing across New York, London and Stockholm reflects strong shareholder support for our growth strategy and positions AstraZeneca to deliver more innovative medicines to more patients around the world,” Chair Michel Demaré said.
By Monday midday, AstraZeneca’s stock climbed over 2% in Stockholm and more than 1% in London.