AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso delivers 84% progression-free survival in trial

Results from a phase 3 trial position AstraZeneca’s blockbuster cancer drug, Tagrisso, as the first and only EGFR inhibitor and targeted treatment to show benefit in stage 3 unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Results from the LAURA phase 3 trial, presented during Sunday's plenary session at ASCO, showed Tagrisso, used after chemoradiotherapy, reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 84% compared to placebo. Median progression-free survival was was 39.1 months in patients treated with Tagrisso versus 5.6 months for placebo. 

The trial win sets Tagrisso up for a label expansion, which will make the drug the new standard of care for stage 3 EGFR-mutated lung cancer.

Tagrisso (osimertinib) was first approved as a second-line treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC in 2015, and was expanded to first-line treatment in 2018. In February, the drug was FDA approved for use, in conjunction with chemo, for locally advanced or metastatic cases of NSCLC. It was just recommended for approval in the EU by CHMP for the same indication.