Amgen's Imdelltra Cuts Lung Cancer Death Risk by 40% in Phase III

Core Insights - Amgen's Imdelltra (tarlatamab-dlle) shows promising results in treating small cell lung cancer (SCLC), demonstrating a 40% reduction in the risk of death and extending median overall survival by more than five months compared to standard chemotherapy [1][2][5] Clinical Data - The global phase III DeLLphi-304 study reported a median overall survival of 13.6 months for patients treated with Imdelltra, compared to 8.3 months for the control group [3][5] - Imdelltra also exhibited a statistically significant improvement in median progression-free survival compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy [3][5] - The drug was well-tolerated, with most adverse events being mild to moderate in severity [4][5] Market Context - SCLC accounts for approximately 15% of over 2.4 million global lung cancer cases annually, with a low five-year survival rate of 5-10% across all stages [8] - Amgen's stock has increased by 10.7% year-to-date, contrasting with a 3.9% decline in the industry [4] Regulatory Approval - Imdelltra received FDA approval in 2024 for pre-treated extensive-stage SCLC patients under the accelerated approval pathway, marking it as the first DLL3-targeting BiTE therapy [9] - The drug generated sales of $81 million in Q1 2025, reflecting a 21% sequential increase driven by volume growth [10] Future Outlook - Continued approval of Imdelltra is contingent on the success of the ongoing phase III DeLLphi-304 study, which serves as the confirmatory study for the extensive-stage SCLC indication [10]