Tagrisso gets China OK for type of lung cancer

AstraZeneca said on Wednesday it had received marketing authorization from China’s National Medical Products Administration for its top-selling drug, Tagrisso, to treat adults with a form of lung cancer.

China approved Tagrisso as a first-line treatment for adults with non-small cell lung cancer patients whose tumours have certain genetic mutations, AstraZeneca said.

Last month, the British drugmaker said a late-stage study showed Tagrisso had significantly helped patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer live longer.

The company has moved deeper into cancer therapy through wide-ranging deals, including those for immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Earlier this year, it agreed to a multi-billion dollar oncology deal with Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo Co.

Sales from AstraZeneca’s oncology unit soared 57% to $2.17 billion in the second quarter, accounting for 38% of total product sales, with revenue from Tagrisso nearly doubling to $784 million.

AstraZeneca had also raised its product sales forecast for 2019, thanks in part to strong sales of cancer drugs.