AstraZeneca’s Iressa cancer drug shows efficacy in trial

AstraZeneca’s Iressa (gefitinib) treatment for non-small cell lung cancer has had its effectiveness underlined by a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Results from the clinical trial showed that use of the drug as a first-line treatment for EGFR mutation-positive advanced lung cancer increased rates of progression-free survival compared to standard doublet chemotherapy.

It is currently the only oral targeted therapy available for the condition to have demonstrated its superiority to chemotherapy among this patient group.

This comes after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended earlier this year that Iressa be made available to NHS patients suffering from the disease.

Nick Thatcher, professor in medical oncology at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, said: “The results of this study provide further confirmation that gefitinib is a more effective oral alternative to old chemotherapy for EGFR mutation positive patients.”

Earlier this month, AstraZeneca published trial data for its investigational thyroid cancer drug vandetanib, showing its efficacy compared to placebo.