AstraZeneca shows positive Iressa results

AstraZeneca has presented data demonstrating that the oral anti-cancer drug Iressa (an EGFR-TKI) has equivalent survival rates for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as those treated with intravenous docetaxel.

The findings from the Interest (Iressa Non-small-cell lung cancer Trial Evaluating REsponse and Survival against Taxotere) were presented at the World Lung Cancer Conference, which is currently taking place in South Korea.

Dr Edward Kim, assistant professor of medicine at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Centre, a co-principal investigator for the Interest study, said: “The study showed that Iressa was as effective as docetaxel but with a more favourable tolerability profile, resulting in significantly more IRESSA-treated patients experiencing clinically important improvements in quality of life compared with patients who received docetaxel.”

The study was the largest ever phase III trial comparing active treatments for patients affected by NSCLC, according to AstraZeneca, and is the first time an EGFR-TKI has shown non-inferiority in such comparisons.

Dr Kim added that improving efficacy in accordance with minimising toxicity was “clearly” the future path for cancer treatments.

The World Conference on Lung Cancer, the 12th edition of the event, finishes on September 6th.