Osimertinib shows promising phase-3 results for non-small cell lung cancer

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have presented findings from an international late-stage clinical trial that shows the targeted therapy osimertinib improved rates of survival and reduced risk of recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer following surgery.

The ADUARA study found 88% of patients with stage IB to IIIA disease treated with osimertinib following surgery were still alive five years later, compared to 78% of patients treated with a placebo. 

“In the U.S, 10 to 15 percent of patients with lung cancer will have mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor and these patients, even after they receive the best available therapy, their tumor still often comes back,” saidprincipal investigator and lead study author Roy Herbst, MD, PhD. “We’re now adding osimertinib, a pill that targets this specific receptor, and what we’ve found is a significant overall survival benefit for patients who received osimertinib.”