A new drug combo recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration may stop lung cancer in its dangerous tracks — for up to 40% longer than before, a sweeping trial funded by pharmaceutical giant Janssen has shown.
Doctors are calling this success “amazing”.
Lung cancer causes approximately 1.8 million deaths each year. is a fatal disease Known to have very low survival ratesEspecially in those people who are in advanced stage.
The Guardian reported that a group of patients with that indeterminate condition were given a cocktail of amivantamab, a monoclonal antibody, and lazertinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor — which kept them alive and progression-free for an average of 23.7 months.
The outlet revealed that sufferers who received the standard treatment, a drug called osimertinib, had an average progression-free survival of 16.6 months.
The findings come as experts are reportedly hailing a “golden age” of cancer research that is leading to better understanding and better treatment methods.
“It is surprising to see that this new combination shows longer-term cancer control than osimertinib, which was a successful treatment in itself just a few years ago” said Martin Forster, head of the UK trial and a medical oncologist at University College Hospital.
“A better understanding of the biology that drives lung cancer has guided the development of these targeted therapies,” Forster said.
More than 1,000 patients were enrolled in the Phase 3 trial conducted during 2020-2022 in multiple countries.
All were in advanced stages of common non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC.
They were randomly assigned to either the drug combo or the standard treatment that the group of patients would normally have received.
“By combining these two drugs, which stop cancer from growing in different ways, we see a significant improvement in progression-free survival rates compared to either currently used drug,” Trail Associated Medical said oncology consultant Rafael Califano. ,
“Survival rates for lung cancer are still very low compared to other types of disease and so seeing such positive results is a welcome development.”
Anna Kinsella of Cancer Research UK told The Guardian, “We are in a golden age of cancer research, where a better understanding of the causes of specific cancers is informing new and better ways to beat the disease.”
“Research like this helps more people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”
The FDA greenlighted the treatment in August.
The Post previously reported that researchers Campaign to ban cigarette sales to Gen Z smokers – saying the move would save 1.2 million lives typically lost to lung cancer over a 70-year period.
