Yuhan Yanghang Lung Cancer Drug Reklaza Improves Survival Rate When Combined

Yuhan Corporation's non-small cell lung cancer treatment 'Reclaza'. Photo by Yuhan Corporation

Research results have shown that the combination therapy of Yuhan Corporation's non-small cell lung cancer treatment 'Reclaza' (generic name: Lazertinib) and global pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J)'s anticancer drug 'Rybrevant' (generic name: Amivantamab) helps improve survival rates compared to competing drugs.

According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 20th, the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) published an abstract of the Phase 3 clinical trial 'MARIPOSA' on its website, comparing the combination therapy of Reclaza and Rybrevant with AstraZeneca's 'Tagrisso' (generic name: Osimertinib) monotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.

MARIPOSA classified patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR mutations into two groups: 429 patients receiving the Reclaza and Rybrevant combination therapy and 429 patients receiving Tagrisso monotherapy. The study predicted that the combination therapy would extend the median overall survival (OS) by at least 12 months compared to Tagrisso monotherapy.

The median OS refers to the survival time of the patient positioned in the middle when all patients' survival times are arranged from longest to shortest. Additionally, at the 36-month follow-up, 60% of patients in the Reclaza and Rybrevant combination therapy group survived, compared to 51% in the Tagrisso monotherapy group.

The research team explained, "The Reclaza and Rybrevant combination group showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS compared to the Tagrisso monotherapy group." Further research results related to this will be announced separately.

Reclaza is a targeted anticancer drug that inhibits cancer cell proliferation and growth by interfering with the signal transmission of EGFR, which is involved in lung cancer cell growth. In August last year, it became the first domestically produced anticancer drug to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).