Tagrisso expands benefits as a first-line treatment

1st option for EGFR mutation in North America and Europe

Tagrisso proved to be highly effective, has sufficient value as a primary drug for lung cancer

Tagrisso, a targeted treatment for EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer, is not receiving benefits from the first-line treatment in Korea.

 

The medical staff emphasized the need for Tagrisso's benefit.

 

On the 19th, AstraZeneca Korea held an online press conference to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Tagrisso's postoperative adjuvant therapy acquisition and its launch in Korea.

 

National Cancer Center’s Chief Researcher Ji-Yeon Han and Professor Min-hee Hong, Department of Oncology, Yonsei University Medical School, presented as speakers.

 

Tagrisso, a third-generation EGFR TKI agent, started as a second-line treatment for EGFR mutant patients and acquired indications for the first-line treatment.

 

Recently, it was used as an adjuvant therapy after surgery for patients with early stage (1B~3A) lung cancer among the first EGFR target treatments.

 

Tagrisso is currently being used as a second-line treatment in Korea.

 

This is because the most important insurance benefits are applied only to secondary treatment.

 

This is in contrast to the insurance benefits applied to primary treatments in major countries around the world, such as the UK, the US, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.

 

In recent years, in Canada, Russia, Australia, and Taiwan, benefits have also been expanded through primary treatment.

 

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) also recommends Tagrisso the most (category 1) for the first-line treatment of EFGR mutant non-small cell cancer patients.

 

In Korea, the results of sub-analysis on the Asian subgroup during the clinical trial of Tagrisso's FLAURA were controversial.

 

Although the overall survival benefit was demonstrated in the entire global FLAURA patient population, the risk ratio (HR) of the Asian sub-analysis was 0.995.

 

In fact, there was no difference from the control group, so there were opinions that there was no OS benefit for Asians.

 

Accordingly, Chief Researcher Han Ji-yeon said, "One-third of the Asian subgroups were Japanese patients, which may have been due to different types of treatment than global ones." She explained, "In Japan, patients with recurrence after surgery, not general stage 4 lung cancer patients, were especially enrolled in the control group.

 

Patients with recurrence after surgery are known to have a better prognosis than general stage 4 patients." Here, in the case of Japan, if there is any possibility of progressing to pneumonia, the drug is stopped immediately and there is a characteristic of switching to another drug.

 

AstraZeneca admitted to the cross-over prescription of patients with confirmed T790M mutations in the first-generation drug from an ethical perspective, and taking this into account, it is encouraging to improve OS.

 

Tagrisso is an EGFR TKI drug that has proven OS for more than 3 years in clinical practice.

 

In a recent FLAURA China study of Chinese, OS showed a similar pattern to global clinical trials.

 

Korea, which follows global treatment standards, will be similar.

 

In particular, among other EGFR TKI agents, Tagrisso has the best BBB permeability, reducing the risk of disease progression or death due to central nervous system metastasis by 52%.

 

One Chief Researcher explained, "The first principle in cancer treatment is to administer the most effective treatment to everyone first." "If Tagrisso resistance develops, there is no follow-up treatment option, so if it is used as a second-line drug, more than half of the patients who can actually be treated with Tagrisso will not have a chance.

 

It is correct to use the best treatment for the first time." Professor Hong Min-hee also said, "From the point of view of the medical staff, the OS may be considered the most important part, but it is also very important for patients to live long and healthy.

 

So, the primary evaluation indicators were disease-free survival (DFS) and progression-free survival (PFS)." Jin MYEONG, Managing Director of Korea AstraZeneca's anticancer drug business division, said, "We are sincerely discussing with the health authorities about the expansion of the primary benefits." We hope to make good progress." It is the first among EGFR TKIs, and it is very encouraging considering the cross-over prescription of a patient whose T790M mutation was confirmed in the first-generation drug for research ethics.