J&J's lung cancer therapy succeeds in head-to-head study with AstraZeneca's drug

[September 29, 2023]  By Bhanvi Satija

(Reuters) -Johnson & Johnson said its cancer drug combination increased the time patients with a type of non small-cell lung cancer live without the disease worsening compared to AstraZeneca's Tagrisso in a late-stage study.

J&J said on Thursday it expects the combination to become a first-line treatment for non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a type of mutation in EGFR protein that causes rapid tumor cell growth.

An interim analysis of data on overall survival for patients showed a trend "favoring" the combination therapy compared to AstraZeneca's blockbuster drug, J&J said, without revealing complete details about the extent of the therapy's benefits.

Analysts said the results were in line with expectations and they will be closely watching for details from the trial that J&J will present at the European Society of Medical Oncology Conference in October.
 

The details will help determine whether the therapy becomes a "front line opportunity for J&J, or does it stay more as a second liner," said Guggenheim Partners analyst Vamil Divan.

Earlier in September, a rival treatment combining AstraZeneca's Tagrisso and chemotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 38% when compared to Tagrisso alone in NSCLC patients in a late-stage study.

The logo of Johnson & Johnson is seen on the top of a Brussels' office of the company in Diegem, Belgium September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File photo

 These results had raised the bar for J&J's combination, according to analysts.
 
 The bar was high because Tagrisso has a compelling first-line commercial profile, and physicians may prefer use of a single therapy compared to combinations for first-line treatment, said Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger.
 
 A spokesperson from AstraZeneca, however, said that no comparison can be drawn between Tagrisso-chemo and J&J's therapy since there are no studies evaluating the combinations head to head.
 
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 (Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Shinjini Ganguli)

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