Vol. 6 No. 6 (2026): June
Reimbursement Recommendations

Durvalumab (Imfinzi)

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Published June 15, 2026

Key Messages

  • Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) recommends that Imfinzi in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by Imfinzi as a monotherapy after surgery, should not be reimbursed by public drug plans for the treatment of resectable stage II, IIIA, or IIIB (T3-4N2) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and no known EGFR mutations or ALK
  • Evidence from 1 clinical trial showed that perioperative Imfinzi with neoadjuvant chemotherapy resulted in little to no difference in overall survival (OS) — an important outcome for curative intent therapy — and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to placebo with neoadjuvant chemotherapy among patients with resectable stage II, IIIA, or IIIB (T3-4N2) NSCLC and no known EGFR mutations or ALK Treatment with perioperative Imfinzi with neoadjuvant chemotherapy may result in added clinical benefit in event-free survival and pathological complete response.
  • The sponsor-submitted indirect treatment comparisons (ITCs) assessing the comparative effects of perioperative Imfinzi with neoadjuvant chemotherapy to relevant comparators in the setting in Canada were inconclusive due to methodological limitations. Additionally, the absence of comparative OS evidence was considered a notable gap in assessing the clinical benefit of Imfinzi relative to relevant comparators.
  • There was insufficient evidence to suggest that perioperative Imfinzi with neoadjuvant chemotherapy addresses any unmet needs not currently being met by perioperative pembrolizumab for resectable NSCLC.