AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso Chemo Combo Impresses But Not A Gamechanger

Reduces Risk Of Lung Cancer Progression By 38%

11 Sep 2023

The detailed results from FLAURA2 have provided a boost for AstraZeneca's Tagrisso franchise, although the combination of the drug plus chemotherapy is unlikely to challenge the convenience that the company's biggest earner already offers for most patients.

Detailed data from the FLAURA2 Phase III trial evaluating a combination of AstraZeneca PLC's lung cancer blockbuster Tagrisso and chemotherapy have exceeded the expectations of clinicians and analysts alike but the jury is out as to whether the results will shape a radical change in care.

The data, which followed a positive topline readout in May and were presented at the presidential symposium at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Singapore, revealed that Tagrisso (osimertinib) in combination with pemetrexed and either cisplatin or carboplatin demonstrated an impressive 38% reduction in the risk of progression versus Tagrisso alone for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)