AstraZeneca has received a boost after two liver cancer treatments were given the green light

AstraZeneca got a boost from its drug business after US regulators approved two treatments for patients suffering from liver cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for the FTSE 100 pharmaceutical company’s combination of Imjudo and Imfinzi to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer.

Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and causes around 5,800 deaths in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research.

The FDA’s decision follows clinical trials that showed the drug combination reduced the risk of death by 22 percent compared with sorafenib, a drug used to treat liver and thyroid cancer.

The trial also found that 31 percent of patients receiving Imjuda and Imfinzi were alive after three years, compared with 20 percent of patients receiving sorafenib.

Imjudo and Imfinzi contain two different types of antibodies that allow the body’s immune system to kill cancer cells more effectively.

Analysts at broker Shore Capital said the approval underscores the “expanding scope” of Imfinzi’s use for gastrointestinal cancer. Shares in AstraZeneca rose 0.6 percent, or 62p, to 9,782p on the news.

It follows a string of regulatory successes for AstraZeneca, which has focused on making the drug after a boost in sales from the Covid jab.

Its share price has risen nearly 10 percent in the past 12 months, making it the second most valuable firm on the London Stock Exchange after oil giant Shell.