AstraZeneca announces new drug to treat lung and liver cancers now available in the UAE

UAE is one of the first countries in the Middle East to receive access to the medication

Dr Humaid Al Shamsi said breakthrough immunotherapy drug offers new hope for patients and their families. Wam

AstraZeneca has launched a new medication to treat advanced liver and lung cancers in the UAE.

The drug – Imjudo (tremelimumab) – is used along with the drug Imfinzi and chemotherapy to treat adults with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer.

It adjusts the immune system to effectively attack cancer cells.

The treatment aids in T-cell activation to prime the immune system against cancer by inhibiting a protein that prevents the death of cancer cells.

The drug, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, has shown promising results in extending progression-free and overall survival rates, empowering patients with better treatment outcomes and a higher quality of life.

The launch makes the UAE one of the first countries to receive access to the medication and marks a significant advancement in the treatment of cancer.

AstraZeneca held a series of workshops and sessions in the UAE to introduce the new medications to more than 100 healthcare experts.

"Imjudo represents an important step in our global fight against several types of cancer, especially that the primary data supporting this revolutionary medication indicates that it is the first and only approved therapy in combination with Imfinzi having three-year data in first-line advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma," said Dr Humaid Al Shamsi, head of the Emirates Oncology Society.

"This breakthrough immunotherapy drug offers new hope for patients and their families.

"It also reinforces the UAE’s position as a leader of cancer care in the Middle East and a global destination for healthcare."