Lung cancer is one of the most deadly diseases among both men and women. A new drug has got FDA approval. AstraZeneca has got its approval for lung cancer drug Tagrisso. The drug works to help patients with lung cancer with certain genetic mutations. FDA had approved Tagrisso 80mg once-daily tablets for treatment of metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). According to AstraZeneca, Tagrisso was the first and only approved medicine in US indicated for NSCLC patients who are tested positive for EGFR T790M mutation.
The approval has been granted after clinical trials showed that it was more than twice effective when compared to chemotherapy. The drug works to target non-small cell lung cancer, which makes up about 85% of lung cancer disease. The Federal regulators have signed off AstraZeneca’s lung cancer drug for use in the United States.
This drug works by blocking the neural pathways that lead to the growth of tumor. The patients studied in trial were given once-daily pill and they lived cancer free for about 10 months as compared to about 4.5 months for those who underwent chemotherapy lung cancer treatment. The approval is based on data from Phase III trial that showed significant improvement in survival with Tagrisso in comparison to chemotherapy.
Tagrisso is a third-generation medication of its type and is approved for use in over 45 countries. These include USA, EU, Japan, China and more for patients with certain kind of NSCLC.
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The information offered in this blog is for educational purposes only. To start or stop any medication, consult your health care practitioner and follow his advice.