Chinese Drug Shows Promising Results Against Lung Cancer: Report

A major milestone has been touched in the race against cancer by a Chinese firm as they were able to manufacture a drug that has been found to be especially effective against a certain type of lung cancer. This antitumor drug has delivered some encouraging outcomes against an uncommon type of lung cancer that does not respond to platinum-based therapy. As per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), this drug has been designated as ‘breakthrough therapy’ by China’s National Medical Products Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration.

The Clinical Trial And Results

In the phase 2 clinical trial of the drug, 104 advanced patients were enrolled and 97 cases were analyzed. The researchers found that 59 patients achieved tumor response, reaching an “objective response rate” (ORR) of 61 percent.

The new drug named Sunvozertinib, developed by Dizal, a biopharmaceutical company based in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, showed promising results. It was mainly developed to combat an unusual and rare subtype of lung cancer in which the tumor harbors a mutation known as “EGFR exon 20 insertions”.

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According to the team behind the research, Sunvozertinib has reportedly achieved 61 percent anti-tumor activity response, which is much higher than any other previous candidates. The research paper was published by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal on December 12 and the initial results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. 

Approval And Further Research 

The drug was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration for the treatment of advanced NSCLC with “EGFR exon 20 insertions” mutation, based on the provided data. The clinical trials for the drug’s global registration are in process in places like the US, South Korea, Europe, and Australia among other places. 

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Oncologist Hidetoshi Hayashi, of the Kindai University Faculty of Medicine in Japan also commented on the new drug stating, “Patients and healthcare providers have long sought hope in the form of effective treatments that offer respite from relentless disease progression.” However, with over a hundred different subtypes of EGFR exon20ins reported in NSCLC, finding a single solution is absolutely effective for all.