According to a late-stage trial, Johnson & Johnson’s cancer treatment combination extended patients’ survival times with a certain non-small-cell lung cancer compared to AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso.

On Thursday, J&J stated that it anticipates the combination will be used as a first-line therapy for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have a specific mutation in the EGFR protein that leads to accelerated tumour cell development.

J&J stated that a preliminary review of patient data on overall survival revealed a trend “favouring” the combination therapy when compared to AstraZeneca’s best-selling medication, but withheld further information regarding the full scope of the medicine’s advantages.

Analysts stated that the outcomes were as anticipated, and they will be keenly observing any information J&J presents on the experiment at the European Society of Medical Oncology Conference in October.

If the therapy becomes a “front line opportunity for J&J, or does it stay more as a second liner,” the specifics will help determine that, according to Guggenheim Partners analyst Vamil Divan.

Earlier in September, a competing regimen that included chemotherapy plus Tagrisso from AstraZeneca decreased the risk of disease progression or mortality in NSCLC patients by 38% when compared to Tagrisso alone in a late-stage study.

Analysts stated that these outcomes had raised the bar for J&J’s merger.

The standard was high since Tagrisso has a strong first-line commercial profile and doctors might prefer using a single drug for first-line treatment over combinations, according to David Risinger, an analyst with Leerink Partners.

There are no trials comparing Tagrisso-chemo with J&J’s medication, according to an AstraZeneca spokeswoman, so no comparisons can be made between the two treatments.

With our newsletter Reuters Health Rounds, be informed on the most recent medical advancements and healthcare trends.

(Adapted from PharmaLive.com)