LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca’s lung most cancers remedy, Tagrisso, lower the chance of loss of life by greater than half in sufferers with a sure type of lung most cancers who have been recognized early sufficient to have their tumour surgically eliminated, trial knowledge confirmed.
Tagrisso is already the crown jewel within the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker’s portfolio, raking in $5.4 billion final yr.
The drug has regulatory approvals throughout a number of geographies for sure sufferers with so-called non small cell lung most cancers (NSCLC) who’ve a mutation of the EGFR gene.
The newest knowledge, offered on the American Society of Scientific Oncology (ASCO) assembly, establishes Tagrisso because the spine therapy for EGFR-mutated lung most cancers, mentioned Susan Galbraith, govt VP of oncology R&D at AstraZeneca in an announcement.
In a 682-patient trial referred to as ADAURA, Tagrisso was evaluated towards a placebo in earlier-stage EGFR-mutated NSCLC sufferers who had undergone surgical procedure to take away their main tumour.
The vast majority of such sufferers ultimately see their most cancers return regardless of surgical procedure and add-on chemotherapy.
Within the trial, Tagrisso or a placebo was given to sufferers to evaluate whether or not the AstraZeneca remedy might maintain their most cancers at bay.
Information confirmed Tagrisso slashed the chance of loss of life by 51% in comparison with placebo.
“This can be a fairly dramatic and noteworthy enchancment,” mentioned Dave Fredrickson, govt vp of oncology at AstraZeneca in an interview with Reuters.
An estimated 88% of sufferers handled with Tagrisso have been alive at 5 years in comparison with 78% on placebo, trial knowledge additionally confirmed.
Exterior of chemotherapy, there are not any medicine other than Tagrisso which have proven to assist sufferers with EGFR-mutated lung most cancers stay longer, Fredrickson highlighted, including that there are in all probability a 3rd of eligible sufferers who aren’t but being prescribed Tagrisso.
“We’d hope that we might have the ability to use these knowledge to have the ability to shut that hole,” he mentioned.
AstraZeneca can be anticipating to offer particulars on the impression of mixing Tagrisso with chemotherapy in sufferers with superior EGFR-mutated lung most cancers later this yr.
Reporting by Natalie Grover in London; Enhancing by Angus MacSwan
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