Pharmaceutical Business review

Tagrisso is only first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC to deliver median overall survival of over three years

Image: Tagrisso showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 52% reduction in the risk of central nervous system disease progression. Photo: courtesy of AstraZeneca.

Results showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS, a key secondary endpoint for Tagrisso versus gefitinib or erlotinib, both of which were previous standard-of-care (SoC) treatments in this setting (HR 0.799 [95% CI, 0.641-0.997], p=0.0462).

Tagrisso delivered a median OS of 38.6 months versus 31.8 months for the comparator arm. At three years, 28% of patients in the Tagrisso arm and 9% of patients in the comparator arm remained on 1st-line study treatment. Tagrisso also showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 52% reduction in the risk of central nervous system (CNS) disease progression, increasing the time patients with CNS metastases lived without CNS disease progression or death (HR 0.48 [95% CI, 0.26-0.86], p=0.014).1

The results were presented at the Presidential Symposium of the ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) 2019 Congress in Barcelona, Spain (Abstract #LBA5_PR).

José Baselga, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D said: “Tagrisso has set a new benchmark in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer by demonstrating a median overall survival of more than three years. We have not before seen survival benefits of this magnitude in any global Phase III trial with any such therapy. The ground-breaking data reaffirm the benefit of using Tagrisso first and further support its use as the 1st-line standard of care in this setting.”

Dr Suresh S. Ramalingam, Principal Investigator of the FLAURA trial from Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, US, said: “The results of the FLAURA trial provide further evidence to support the role of osimertinib as the preferred 1st-line therapy option for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. It is highly noteworthy that 28% of patients are still being treated with 1st-line osimertinib at three years versus 9% on either gefitinib or erlotinib.”

Source: Company Press Release