AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (osimertinib) improved overall survival in a late-stage study evaluating the drug as an adjuvant treatment in patients with early-stage (IB, II and IIIA) epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete tumor resection with curative intent.

The treatment reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 77 percent and demonstrated a median disease-free survival of 65.8 months. AstraZeneca plans to release more trial data at an upcoming medical meeting.

Tagrisso belongs to a class of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs designed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

The oral drug first received FDA’s approval in 2015 and is now indicated for several forms of NSCLC. Tagrisso has not received FDA approval for this specific NSCLC patient population.