AstraZeneca breast cancer medicine slows disease by over six months

New York: AstraZeneca Plc's experimental breast cancer pill delayed disease progression by over six months, according to data from a new study that is likely to capture investors' attention.

Camizestrant, in combination with other cancer medicines, helped patients with a specific type of breast cancer to live for a median of 16 months without their cancer progressing, compared with 9.2 months for those taking the current standard treatment.

Astra hopes the study data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago, will help establish a new treatment strategy for some breast cancer patients.

Camizestrant works as a hormone therapy to stop estrogen from attaching to cancer cells and helping them to grow.

When other potential uses for camizestrant are taken into account, Astra believes the drug could bring in over $5 billion in annual sales. But analysts are more cautious as other similar drugs have failed, with Barclays estimating potential peak year sales at $3.6 billion. AstraZeneca has established itself as a cancer drug powerhouse under CEO Pascal Soriot, with medicines including Tagrisso and Imfinzi fueling growth.