AstraZeneca's Tagrisso (osimertinib) has been recommended for approval in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations and whose disease has not progressed during or following platinum-based chemoradiation therapy (CRT).

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) based its positive opinion on the results from the LAURA Phase III trial, which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Results showed Tagrisso reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 84% compared to placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.24; p<0.001) as assessed by blinded independent central review. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 39.1 months in patients treated with Tagrisso versus 5.6 months for placebo.

Overall survival (OS) results remain immature at this current analysis. The trial continues to assess OS as a secondary endpoint.

Each year in Europe, there are more than 450,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer.¹ Among those with NSCLC, the most common form of lung cancer, about 10-15% of patients in Europe have tumours with an EGFR mutation.^2,3 Additionally, nearly one in five people with NSCLC has an unresectable tumour.⁴

Manuel Cobo, MD, Specialist Physician of the Medical Oncology Service at the Carlos Haya University Hospital, Malaga, Spain, and investigator for the trial, said: "The LAURA results build on the established efficacy of osimertinib and support the approval of the first targeted therapy for patients with unresectable, EGFR-mutated lung cancer. Today's positive recommendation marks an important step towards offering patients in Europe a targeted treatment option that can extend the time before their disease progresses by more than three years."

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "Today's news reinforces Tagrisso as the backbone therapy in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, meeting the critical unmet need for an effective targeted treatment option in the unresectable setting. Tagrisso has now demonstrated its benefit across all stages of EGFR-mutated lung cancer, representing a pivotal step in transforming care for patients who are urgently in need of innovative therapies that can help extend their lives."   

The safety and tolerability of Tagrisso in the LAURA trial was consistent with its established profile and no new safety concerns were identified.

Tagrisso following CRT was recently approved for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, Stage III EGFRm NSCLC in the US. Regulatory applications are also currently under review in China, Japan and several other countries based on the LAURA trial.

Tagrisso is approved as monotherapy in more than 100 countries including in the US, EU, China and Japan. Approved indications include 1st-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFRm NSCLC, locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC, and adjuvant treatment of early-stage EGFRm NSCLC. Tagrisso is also approved in combination with chemotherapy in the US, China and several other countries for 1st-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFRm NSCLC.

Notes

Lung cancer 

Each year, an estimated 2.4 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer globally.⁵ Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, accounting for about one-fifth of all cancer deaths.⁵ Lung cancer is broadly split into NSCLC and small cell lung cancer.³ The majority of all NSCLC patients are diagnosed with advanced disease.⁶

Approximately 10-15% of NSCLC patients in the US and Europe, and 30-40% of patients in Asia have EGFRm NSCLC.^7-9 Patients with EGFRm NSCLC are particularly sensitive to treatment with an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) which blocks the cell-signalling pathways that drive the growth of tumour cells.¹⁰

LAURA 

LAURA is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre, global Phase III trial in patients with unresectable, Stage III EGFRm NSCLC whose disease has not progressed following definitive platinum-based CRT. Patients were treated with Tagrisso 80mg once-daily oral tablets until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or other discontinuation criteria were met. Upon progression, patients in the placebo arm were offered treatment with Tagrisso. 

The trial enrolled 216 patients in more than 145 centres across more than 15 countries, including in the US, Europe, South America and Asia. The primary endpoint is PFS. The trial is ongoing and will continue to assess the secondary endpoint of OS. 

Tagrisso 

Tagrisso (osimertinib) is a third-generation, irreversible EGFR-TKI with proven clinical activity in NSCLC, including against central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Tagrisso (40mg and 80mg once-daily oral tablets) has been used to treat patients across its indications worldwide and AstraZeneca continues to explore Tagrisso as a treatment for patients across multiple stages of EGFRm NSCLC. 

There is an extensive body of evidence supporting the use of Tagrisso as standard of care in EGFRm NSCLC. Tagrisso improved patient outcomes in early-stage disease in the ADAURA Phase III trial, Stage III, unresectable disease in the LAURA Phase III trial, late-stage disease in the FLAURA Phase III trial, and with chemotherapy in the FLAURA2 Phase III trial. 

As part of AstraZeneca's ongoing commitment to treating patients as early as possible in lung cancer, Tagrisso is also being investigated in the neoadjuvant setting in the NeoADAURA Phase III trial and in the early-stage adjuvant resectable setting in the ADAURA2 Phase III trial.

The Company is also researching ways to address tumour mechanisms of resistance through the SAVANNAH and ORCHARD Phase II trials, and the SAFFRON Phase III trial, which test Tagrisso plus savolitinib as well as other potential new medicines.

AstraZeneca in lung cancer 

AstraZeneca is working to bring patients with lung cancer closer to cure through the detection and treatment of early-stage disease, while also pushing the boundaries of science to improve outcomes in the resistant and advanced settings. By defining new therapeutic targets and investigating innovative approaches, the Company aims to match medicines to the patients who can benefit most. 

The Company's comprehensive portfolio includes leading lung cancer medicines and the next wave of innovations, including Tagrisso and Iressa (gefitinib); Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Imjudo (tremelimumab); Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) and datopotamab deruxtecan in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo; Orpathys (savolitinib) in collaboration with HUTCHMED; as well as a pipeline of potential new medicines and combinations across diverse mechanisms of action. 

AstraZeneca is a founding member of the Lung Ambition Alliance, a global coalition working to accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful improvements for people with lung cancer, including and beyond treatment. 

AstraZeneca in oncology 

AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology with the ambition to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Company's focus is on some of the most challenging cancers. It is through persistent innovation that AstraZeneca has built one of the most diverse portfolios and pipelines in the industry, with the potential to catalyse changes in the practice of medicine and transform the patient experience.

AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

AstraZeneca 

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca's innovative medicines are sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on social media @AstraZeneca. 

Contacts

For details on how to contact the Investor Relations Team, please click here. For Media contacts, click here.

References

1. Ferlay J, et al. Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: Estimates for 40 countries and 25 major cancers in 2018. Eur J Cancer. 2018;103:356-387.   
2. Sanden SV, et al. Prevalence of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Exon 20 Insertion Mutations in Non-small-Cell Lung Cancer in Europe: A Pragmatic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. Targeted Onc. 2022;17:153-166. 
3. LUNGevity Foundation. Types of Lung Cancer. Available at: https://www.lungevity.org/lung-cancer-basics/types-of-lung-cancer. Accessed November 2024. 
4. Quint LE. Lung cancer: assessing resectability. Cancer Imaging. 2004;4(1):15-18. 
5. World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. All Cancers Fact Sheet. Available at: https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/cancers/39-all-cancers-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed November 2024. 
6. Cagle P, et al. Lung Cancer Biomarkers: Present Status and Future Developments. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2013;137(9):1191-1198. 
7. Keedy VL, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Provisional Clinical Opinion: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutation Testing for Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Considering First-Line EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(15):2121-2127. 
8. Szumera-Ciećkiewicz A, et al. EGFR Mutation Testing on Cytological and Histological Samples in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: a Polish, Single Institution Study and Systematic Review of European Incidence. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2013;6(12): 2800-2812. 
9. Ellison G, et al. EGFR Mutation Testing in Lung Cancer: a Review of Available Methods and Their Use for Analysis of Tumour Tissue and Cytology Samples. J Clin Pathol. 2013;66(2):79-89. 
10. Cross DAE, et al. AZD9291, an Irreversible EGFR TKI, Overcomes T790M-Mediated Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors in Lung Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2014;4(9):1046-1061.