The Adaura trial involved patients aged between 30 and 86 in 26 countries and looked at whether the pill could help non-small cell lung cancer patients, the most common form of the disease.
Everyone in the trial had a mutation of the EGFR gene, which is found in about a quarter of global lung cancer cases, and accounts for as many as 40% of cases in Asia.
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Some patients in the UK, US and other countries are already able to access the drug, he said, but more should benefit.
Not everyone diagnosed with lung cancer is tested for the EGFR mutation, which needs to change, Herbst said, given the study’s findings. “This further reinforces the need to identify these patients with available biomarkers at the time of diagnosis and before treatment begins.”
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After five years, 88% of patients who took the daily pill after the removal of their tumour were still alive, compared with 78% of patients treated with a placebo. Overall, there was a 51% lower risk of death for those who received osimertinib compared with those who received placebo.
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About two-thirds of the 682 patients in the trial were women. About two-thirds of patients also had no history of smoking, which suggested the pill works for smokers and non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer.
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