AstraZeneca reports positive results in latest lung cancer trials

The FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals giant said the combination had the potential to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally-advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

It said the trial indicated that Tagrisso and chemotherapy resulted in a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in PFS when compared to Tagrisso alone.

The study specifically focussed on patients with stage 3b to 3c, and stage four, NSCLC.

While the overall survival data was still considered immature at the time of analysis, they would undergo further evaluation in subsequent assessments.

Looking at safety, the trial demonstrated that the combination treatment had consistent safety profiles and discontinuation rates due to adverse events, aligning with the established records of each medicine involved.

“These significant FLAURA2 results show Tagrisso has the potential to offer patients in the first-line setting a new treatment option that can extend the time they live without their disease progressing,” said AstraZeneca’s executive vice-president of oncology research and development, Susan Galbraith.

“This meaningfully builds on successive trials which have demonstrated improved clinical benefit with Tagrisso in patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer.”

At 0953 BST, shares in AstraZeneca were up 0.85% at 12,168p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.