25th Mar 2025 09:04
(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Tuesday reported positive new study results for its lung cancer drug Tagrisso, strengthening its position as a "backbone" treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, also referred to as NSCLC.
The Cambridge, England-based pharmaceuticals firm said updated data from several phase II and III trials, presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress, showed that Tagrisso - both as a monotherapy and in combination with other drugs - continued to demonstrate encouraging survival trends and strong clinical activity across different stages of the disease.
In the Laura phase III trial, Tagrisso showed an improved trend in overall survival for patients with unresectable, stage III EGFRm NSCLC who had not progressed after chemoradiotherapy. Median overall survival was 58.8 months with Tagrisso, compared to 54.1 months for placebo.
Meanwhile, two phases II trials - Savannah and Orchard - showed that combining Tagrisso with other therapies could benefit patients whose disease had progressed after first-line Tagrisso treatment.
In Savannah, combining Tagrisso with Orpathys, a MET inhibitor, yielded a 56% confirmed objective response rate among patients with high MET overexpression or amplification, with a median duration of response of 7.1 months.
In Orchard, Tagrisso plus Datroway, a TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugate, produced response rates of up to 43% in patients whose disease had progressed after initial Tagrisso treatment. The higher dose of Datroway showed a median progression-free survival of 11.7 months.
Susan Galbraith, AstraZeneca's executive vice president of Oncology R&D, said: "Tagrisso has repeatedly transformed expectations for patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer by not only extending survival but also showing it is possible to maintain quality of life during cancer treatment.
"The breadth of data at ELCC reinforce Tagrisso as the backbone therapy for patients with this disease and show that adding Orpathys or Datroway at the time of disease progression can help prolong patients’ responses to treatment."
Tagrisso generated USD6.6 billion in global revenue in 2024 and accounted for 12% of AstraZeneca’s total revenue, making it the company’s second-highest revenue contributor and a core product in its oncology portfolio.
Shares in AstraZeneca were 0.6% higher at 11,520.00 pence in London on Tuesday morning.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
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