AstraZeneca study highlights benefits of Iressa

AstraZeneca has published new clinical data which underlines the potential benefits of Iressa, its new treatment for lung cancer.

The drug has been trialled in the groundbreaking Ipass study, which aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment compared to carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy among sufferers of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

It was found that AstraZeneca's drug delivered similar performance in terms of overall survival rates, while proving to be superior in increasing prospects of progression-free survival.

Moreover, the trial revealed new information about the reactions of certain cancer types to therapy, as patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC demonstrated better outcomes than those with EGFR mutation-negative disease, regardless of treatment type.

Alison Armour, medical science director for AstraZeneca, said: "Ipass data reinforces that there should be a move towards recognising that lung cancer is a complex disease with distinct subtypes requiring targeted medicines."

Earlier this month, AstraZeneca announced that it has received European approval for Vimovo, a new treatment for arthritis and related conditions.