The USFDA has approved the drug osimertinib as adjuvant therapy in non-small cell lung cancer . The therapy is indicated for non-small cell tumors having EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations . The efficacy of the drug was evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study conducted on 682 patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer due to specific genetic mutations. Out of these, 339 patients received the test drug and 343 patients received placebo.
The course was started following the recovery from surgery and chemotherapy. The main outcome measured was the time of disease recurrence. In the patients who received the test drug, an 80% decrease in the disease recurrence time was found out as compared to the placebo. The side effects reported were diarrhea, rash, musculoskeletal pain, dry skin, inflammation around nails, sore mouth, fatigue,…
