AstraZeneca Drug Shows Promise in Reducing Death Risk for Lung Cancer Patients
Exciting findings from a three-year-long clinical trial have revealed that an AstraZeneca drug, osimertinib, has the potential to significantly decrease the risk of death for certain lung cancer patients. The results, recently published in the Journal of New England Medicine, demonstrate a noteworthy improvement in overall survival when patients were administered osimertinib compared to those who received a placebo. The Trial The trial, which involved 682 participants from various international sites, focused exclusively on a subset of lung cancer patients with a specific gene mutation known as EGFR. This mutation is present in approximately 10 to 15% of lung cancer patients, as reported by the American Lung Cancer Association. Patients were given a daily pill of either osimertinib or a placebo. Findings from the study The analysis of the study indicated that an estimated 88% of patients treated with the AstraZeneca drug were alive after several years, in contrast to 73% of those who r...