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A new AstraZeneca drug has failed to extend significantly the lives of breast cancer patients in a blow to the company’s ambitions to hit an $80bn revenue target by 2030.

Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) is a new form of cancer treatment, known as an antibody-drug conjugate, developed with Japanese company Daiichi Sankyo. Trial results showed the drug failed to help late-stage breast cancer patients live longer than standard chemotherapy, in patients who had previously been treated with hormonal therapies, AstraZeneca said on Monday.

AstraZeneca shares fell 1 per cent in early trading in London. Earlier this month, the drug failed to hit a target for overall survival benefits in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, causing shares to fall nearly 5 per cent.

After those results, the head of AstraZeneca’s oncology business David Fredrickson said Dato-DXd could still hit peak annual sales of $5bn. The treatment is a key part of the company’s ambitions to almost double revenues by 2030. Previous studies showed the drug had extended the time before breast cancer patients’ conditions worsened by two months, compared with chemotherapy.

But the drug has shown less convincing results than Enhertu, its other antibody-drug conjugate developed with Daiichi Sankyo, which has contributed to improvements in tackling breast cancer.

Susan Galbraith, the company’s head of oncology research and development, said there was evidence that Dato-DXd offered value for patients and AstraZeneca would “continue discussions with regulators” about its use.

But Peter Welford, an analyst at Jefferies, said the result “further dents belief” in the drug and “complicates regulatory discussions for approval”. US authorities are set to decide on whether to approve the drug in non-small-cell lung cancer before the end of the year.

Breast cancer treatment involves targeting various different receptors present on different tumours. Hormone receptor positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 70 to 80 per cent of cases, and these cancers can be stimulated to grow by hormones such as oestrogen, leading doctors to use treatments that block production of these hormones. But the efficacy of these drugs wanes as the cancer progresses.

Ken Takeshita, head of research and development at Daiichi Sankyo, said the company was “proud” to have “brought forth a new standard of care for patients with metastatic breast cancer with Enhertu and we remain committed to making datopotamab deruxtecan another potential option for patients who can benefit”.

AstraZeneca also announced on Monday that its Fasenra asthma drug had received a positive opinion from European officials in the treatment of the rare autoimmune disease eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, paving the way for an EU approval.