AstraZeneca has received two positive recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for lung cancer patients across England and Wales.
Tagrisso (osimertinib) has been granted positive recommendation for NHS use as an adjuvant treatment option after complete tumour removal in adult patients with stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)1. Results from the ADAURA Phase III trial showed osimertinib reduced the relative risk of disease recurrence or death by 83% compared to placebo. Osimertinib is indicated specifically for patients whose cancer has certain mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitutions)1.
Imfinzi (durvalumab) was also recommended by NICE for NHS use in combination with etoposide plus either carboplatin or cisplatin for adults with untreated extensive-stage small cell lunch cancer (ES-SCLC)2. Results from the CASPIAN Phase III trial demonstrated that durvalumab in combination with platinum-etoposide chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 29% versus chemotherapy alone.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 21% of all cancer deaths3,4. More than 130 people each day are diagnosed with lung cancer each year in the UK3. The economic burden is significant, with lung cancer costing the UK economy £698.9M each year5.
Tom Keith-Roach, President, AstraZeneca UK, said: “This is fantastic news for lung cancer patients. We are proud that these decisions by NICE mean we’ve had 28 positive recommendations by NICE and the SMC since 2021 across multiple cancer types and stages. This represents another step towards our bold ambition to one day eliminate cancer as a cause of death.”
References
1 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Final Draft Guidance. Osimertinib for adjuvant treatment of EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer after complete tumour resection (review of TA761). Issue date: 21 January 2025
2 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Final Draft Guidance. Durvalumab with etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin for untreated extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ta11515/documents/674. Last accessed: January 2025
3 Cancer Research UK, Lung cancer statistics. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer. Last accessed: January 2025.
4 Cancer Research UK. Lung cancer mortality statistics. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer/mortality. Last accessed: January 2025.
5 National Cancer Institute. NCI Dictionary – Small Cell Lung Cancer. Available at https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/small-cell-lung-cancer. Last accessed: January 2025.
