AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd received approval from India’s drug regulator CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) to market a cancer drug called Imfinzi in India.
Imfinzi is the brand name for the drug Durvalumab solution for infusion.
What Imfinzi Is Used For
Imfinzi (Durvalumab) is used in cancer treatment.
The approval is for its use in combination with other medicines (carboplatin and paclitaxel) as first-line treatment for adults with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer who are eligible for systemic therapy.
It can then be used as maintenance therapy (by itself) for patients whose cancer has a specific genetic pattern called dMMR (mismatch repair deficient).
What the Approval Allows
The approval lets AstraZeneca import, sell, and distribute Imfinzi in India in two strengths — 120 mg/2.4 ml and 500 mg/10 ml.
This gives doctors and patients in India access to a new treatment option for certain endometrial cancers.
Background:
In Union Budget 2024-25, the Indian government removed customs duty on several expensive cancer medicines, including durvalumab (Imfinzi).
This move was meant to reduce the cost of these drugs for patients by lowering import taxes on them.
AstraZeneca’s newly approved Imfinzi is one of the drugs affected by that policy, so its marketing in India now comes at a time when the budget cut is expected to help make it cheaper and more accessible for patients.
Why This Matters
This approval is important for cancer care in India, as it expands the treatment choices available to patients with advanced cancer.
Imfinzi is already used in many countries and for several cancer types globally, showing its importance in modern immunotherapy.
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