AstraZeneca

Positive high-level results from the final overall survival (OS) analysis of the FLAURA2 Phase III trial showed AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (osimertinib) with the addition of pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the key secondary endpoint of OS compared to Tagrissomonotherapy for patients with 1st-line locally advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).​

The final OS analysis demonstrates consistent survival benefit as previously reported in the interim OS results, andbuilds on the previously presented primary endpoint data, which demonstrated the longest-reported median progression-free survival (PFS) in this setting.

Pasi A. Jänne, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President for Translational Medicine and thoracic medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and principal investigator for the FLAURA2 trial, said: “When treating lung cancer, the aim is to both prolong survival and improve the patient experience, especially in 1st-line where treatment duration can be long and many patients remain active. These positive results support osimertinib, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, as standard of care for patients with 1st-line advanced EGFR-mutated lung cancer and reinforce the meaningful benefit of the combination in the current clinical setting. The observed survival benefit is particularly impressive given that FLAURA2 did not impose any restrictions on the choice of subsequent treatment after disease progression.”

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “These exciting overall survival results add to the extensive evidence supporting Tagrisso as the backbone therapy in EGFR-mutated lung cancer, demonstrating that Tagrisso plus chemotherapy can significantly extend survival in the 1st-line advanced setting, in addition to prior trials showing survival benefits as monotherapy in both early stage and advanced disease. With its strong survival benefit and tolerable safety profile, this combination has the potential to help patients live longer while maintaining their quality of life on treatment.”

With longer follow up, the safety profile of Tagrisso plus chemotherapy continues to be manageable and consistent with the established profiles of the individual medicines. Adverse event (AE) rates were higher in the Tagrisso plus chemotherapy arm, driven by well-characterised chemotherapy-related AEs. Discontinuation rates due to AEs and on-target toxicities were low in both arms of the trial.

These data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting and shared with global regulatory authorities.

Tagrisso plus chemotherapy is approved in more than 80 countries, including the US, EU, China and Japan, based on the FLAURA2 Phase III trial.

Notes

NSCLC                                                              
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women, accounting for about one-fifth of all cancer deaths.¹ Lung cancer is broadly split into small cell lung cancer or NSCLC, the latter accounting for 80-85% of cases.^1-2Approximately 75% of people are diagnosed with advanced NSCLC.³ Additionally, about 10-15% of NSCLC patients in the US and Europe, and 30-40% of patients in Asia have EGFRm NSCLC.^4-6

While EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have significantly improved outcomes in the 1st-line setting, mechanisms of resistance and disease progression are extremely common, and a significant unmet need exists in later-line settings for effective and well-tolerated treatment options.^7-10

FLAURA2
FLAURA2 is a randomised, open-label, multi-centre, global Phase III trial in the 1st-line treatment of patients with locally advanced (Stage IIIB-IIIC) or metastatic (Stage IV) EGFRm NSCLC. Patients were treated with Tagrisso 80mg QD oral tablets with the addition of chemotherapy (pemetrexed (500mg/m2) plus cisplatin (75mg/m2) or carboplatin (AUC5) every three weeks for four cycles, followed by Tagrisso with pemetrexed maintenance every three weeks.

The trial enrolled 557 patients in more than 150 centres across more than 20 countries, including in the US, Europe, South America and Asia. The primary endpoint is PFS with OS as the key secondary endpoint.

Tagrisso
Tagrisso (osimertinib) is a third-generation, irreversible EGFR-TKI with proven clinical activity in NSCLC, including against central nervous system metastases. Tagrisso (40mg and 80mg QD oral tablets) has been used to treat more than one million patients across its indications worldwide and AstraZeneca continues to explore Tagrisso as a treatment for patients across multiple stages of EGFRm NSCLC.

Tagrisso is approved as monotherapy in more than 120 countries including the US, EU, China and Japan. Approved indications include for 1st-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFRm NSCLC, locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC, adjuvant treatment of early-stage EGFRm NSCLC and locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC following platinum-based chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Tagrisso plus chemotherapy is approved in more than 80 countries, including the US, EU, China and Japan, for 1st-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFRm NSCLC.

There is an extensive body of evidence supporting the use of Tagrisso in EGFRm NSCLC. Tagrisso is the only targeted therapy shown to improve patient outcomes in early-stage disease in the NeoADAURA and ADAURA Phase III trials, locally advanced stages in the LAURA Phase III trial and late-stage disease in the FLAURA and FLAURA2 Phase III trials. 

As part of AstraZeneca’s ongoing commitment to treating patients as early as possible in lung cancer, Tagrisso is also being investigated in the early-stage adjuvant resectable setting in the ADAURA2 Phase III trial.

AstraZeneca in lung cancer
AstraZeneca is working to bring patients with lung cancer closer to cure through the detection and treatment of early-stage disease, while also pushing the boundaries of science to improve outcomes in the resistant and advanced settings. By defining new therapeutic targets and investigating innovative approaches, the Company aims to match medicines to the patients who can benefit most.

The Company’s comprehensive portfolio includes leading lung cancer medicines and the next wave of innovations, including Tagrisso and Iressa (gefitinib); Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Imjudo (tremelimumab); Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) and Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan) in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo; Orpathys (savolitinib) in collaboration with HUTCHMED; as well as a pipeline of potential new medicines and combinations across diverse mechanisms of action.

AstraZeneca is a founding member of the Lung Ambition Alliance, a global coalition working to accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful improvements for people with lung cancer, including and beyond treatment.

AstraZeneca in oncology 
AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology with the ambition to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Company's focus is on some of the most challenging cancers. It is through persistent innovation that AstraZeneca has built one of the most diverse portfolios and pipelines in the industry, with the potential to catalyse changes in the practice of medicine and transform the patient experience.

AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

AstraZeneca 
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca’s innovative medicines are sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on social media @AstraZeneca.

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References

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2. American Cancer Society. What Is Lung Cancer?. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/about/what-is.html. Accessed July 2025.
3. Chen HJ, et al. Long-term survival of advanced lung adenocarcinoma by maintenance chemotherapy followed by EGFR-TKI. Medicine. 2021;100(6):e24688.
4. Keedy VL, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Provisional Clinical Opinion: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutation Testing for Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Considering First-Line EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2011:29;2121-27.
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9. Morgillo F, et al. Mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-targeted drugs: lung cancer. ESMO Open. 2016;1(3):e000060.
10. Han B, et al. Efficacy of pemetrexed-based regimens in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with activating epidermal growth factor receptor mutations after tyrosine kinase inhibitor failure: a systematic review. Onco Targets Ther. 2018;11:2121-2129.