AstraZeneca's Tagrisso Plus Chemotherapy Delivers Longest Survival Benefits in Lung Cancer Trials

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso in combination with chemotherapy has demonstrated the longest survival benefits in phase three trials for patients with EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer, with a median overall survival of nearly four years. This is compared to a median of approximately three years for Tagrisso monotherapy. The combination achieved both extended survival and preserved quality of life for patients.

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso, in combination with chemotherapy, has shown substantial survival benefits in a phase III trial for patients with EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer. The FLAURA2 trial, presented at the IASLC 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, Spain, revealed a median overall survival (OS) of nearly four years (47.5 months) for patients treated with Tagrisso plus chemotherapy, compared to approximately three years (37.6 months) for those receiving Tagrisso monotherapy.

The combination therapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS, reducing the risk of death by 23% compared to Tagrisso monotherapy (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.61-0.96; p=0.0202). At three years, 63.1% of patients in the combination arm were alive, compared to 50.9% in the monotherapy arm, and at four years, 49.1% versus 40.8%, respectively. The observed OS benefit was consistent across all prespecified subgroups.

The safety profile of the combination therapy remained manageable, with grade 3 or higher adverse events (AEs) occurring in 70% of patients in the combination arm, driven by well-characterized chemotherapy-related AEs, compared to 34% in the monotherapy arm. Discontinuation rates due to AEs and on-target toxicities were low in both trial arms (12% versus 7%).

The results of the FLAURA2 trial reinforce Tagrisso's role as a standard of care in first-line advanced EGFR-mutated lung cancer. AstraZeneca's commitment to lung cancer treatment, as demonstrated by the development of Tagrisso and other innovative therapies, highlights the company's dedication to improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

References:
[1] https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2025/tagrisso-plus-chemotherapy-demonstrated-a-median-overall-survival-of-nearly-four-years.html