AstraZeneca Unveils Data Behind New Win For Blockbuster Drug
- Early-stage lung cancer death, disease recurrence reduced 79%
- Results released at ASCO after study halted early last month
Newly coated tablets flow into to a container at AstraZeneca Plc's new Biologics factory in Sodertalje, Sweden.
Photographer: Mikael Sjoberg/BloombergAstraZeneca Plc’s blockbuster drug Tagrisso cut the risk of lung cancer death or relapse by four-fifths over three years, according to detailed results from a study that raises survival prospects for patients in the early stages of the deadly disease.
Adding Tagrisso to the regimen of early-stage lung cancer patients who had undergone surgery reduced the risk of dying or disease recurrence by 79%, compared with a placebo, according to the research. Patients’ tumors also had a mutation in a cancer-linked gene, called EGFR. AstraZeneca will present the results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference on Sunday, a month and a half after the trial was halted early because of its strong outcome.