AstraZeneca’s Tagriss approved in USA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tagrisso for patients with EGFR T790M mutation-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

In an announcement on Friday, the company and the FDA said that TAGRISS (AZD9291) 80mg once-daily tablets has been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have progressed on or after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.

AstraZeneca notes that AZD9291 is the only approved medicine indicated for patients with metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer. This indication is approved under the FDA’s accelerated approval process based on tumour response rate and duration of response (DoR).

AZD9291 is an EGFR-TKI, a targeted cancer therapy, designed to inhibit both the activating, sensitising mutations (EGFRm), and T790M, a genetic mutation responsible for EGFR-TKI treatment resistance.

Pasi A Jänne MD, PhD, Director, Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Scientific Director, Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, said: “In the AURA clinical studies, AZD9291 has demonstrated compelling early efficacy and tolerability in patients with EGFRm T790M metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. This treatment has the potential to become the standard of care for patients living with EGFRm T790M non-small cell lung cancer. The accelerated approval of AZD9291 highlights its clinical promise for a targeted group of patients and gives healthcare providers an important new option.”

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said: “The FDA approval of Tagrisso marks an important milestone for lung cancer patients who urgently need new treatment options. We have built on our heritage in this area and acted on the breakthrough clinical evidence to ensure this next-generation medicine reaches patients in record time. As we advance our comprehensive lung cancer portfolio, we have the opportunity to treat greater numbers of patients across all stages of this disease through precision medicines, immunotherapies and novel combinations.”

Working with Roche

AstraZeneca said it has collaborated with Roche to develop the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 as the companion diagnostic for AZD9291. The cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 is intended to identify a range of EGFR mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, including T790M.

Furthermore, AZD9291 was granted Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy, Priority Review and Accelerated Approval status by the FDA. In Europe and Japan, AZD9291 was granted Accelerated Assessment and Priority Review status respectively. Interactions with regulatory authorities in the rest of the world are ongoing.

AstraZeneca about non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, accounting for about one-third of all cancer deaths, more than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined. Lung cancer has a five-year survival rate that is less than 20%. Approximately 85% of all lung cancers in the US are NSCLC; 10% to 15% of these are EGFR mutation-positive. Approximately two-thirds of patients treated with EGFR TKI therapy will acquire resistance related to the T790M mutation.

About AZD9291

80mg once-daily tablet is the first medicine indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have progressed on or after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Non-clinical in vitro studies have demonstrated that AZD9291 has high potency and inhibitory activity against mutant EGFR phosphorylation across the range of clinically relevant EGFRm and T790M mutant NSCLC cell lines with significantly less activity against EGFR in wild-type cell lines.