AstraZeneca shares rise 2.5% after positive lung cancer drug update

1st Jun 2015 07:35

Shares in AstraZeneca rose 2.5% on Monday following positive takeaways from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, during which the company presented preliminary data for one of its lung cancer drugs.The pharmaceuticals giant announced preliminary efficacy and safety data for AZD9291 - a drug used in the first-line treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC.It said the drug showed that 81% of patient on a once daily dose of the drug were progression-free at nine months, while the overall response rate was 73%.