AstraZeneca has asked the FDA to approve a two-pill combination for people with EGFR-mutated lung cancer whose tumors keep growing on Tagrisso because of changes involving a protein called MET. HUTCHMED announced the U.S. New Drug Application on Sept. 28 for savolitinib, sold in China as Orpathys, plus Tagrisso (osimertinib). The combination is not approved in the United States.
The filing matters to patients who face a hard turn in their care. Tagrisso is a standard daily pill for EGFR-mutated lung cancer, but tumors often find ways around it. When that happens, the usual next step is chemotherapy.