AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) has reported positive results from a late-stage trial of a two-drug combination for a hard-to-treat form of lung cancer, potentially opening the way to approval around the world.
The study tested the company’s established lung cancer pill Tagrisso alongside a newer drug called Orpathys, developed with the Hong Kong-based biotech HUTCHMED.
Patients who took both drugs lived longer and went longer before their disease worsened than those given standard chemotherapy.
The trial focused on people whose cancer had stopped responding to Tagrisso on its own, a common problem in this type of disease.
Around one in three patients treated with drugs like Tagrisso eventually develop resistance driven by a protein called MET, which fuels tumour growth and is linked to poorer outcomes.
Until now, there has been no well-tolerated tablet that specifically targets these patients once their cancer returns.
Orpathys is designed to block MET, while Tagrisso continues to suppress the original mutation, meaning the combination tackles two problems at once.
Both drugs are taken as pills rather than given by infusion, an advantage for patients who would otherwise face chemotherapy.
The trial, called SAFFRON, enrolled 338 patients across 230 centres in 29 countries, spanning North America, Europe, South America and Asia.
AstraZeneca said the safety results were in line with what was already known about each drug, with no new concerns emerging.
Susan Galbraith, the company’s head of oncology research and development, said the combination aimed to become the first biomarker-directed, all-oral option of its kind for patients globally.
The combination is already approved in China on the basis of an earlier trial, and AstraZeneca said the new global data would now be shared with regulators to support wider registrations.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for almost a quarter of all such deaths.
Full results will be presented at a future medical meeting.
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