AstraZeneca touts Enhertu, Orpathys dual lung cancer wins amid bispecific failure (August 17, 2026)

AstraZeneca reported positive phase 3 results for Enhertu and the Tagrisso–Orpathys combination in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while simultaneously acknowledging the failure of its PD‑1/CTLA‑4 bispecific antibody volrustomig in a late‑stage lung trial.

Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), developed with Daiichi Sankyo, significantly improved progression‑free survival versus standard‑of‑care chemo‑immunotherapy in first‑line HER2‑mutant nonsquamous NSCLC in the DESTINY‑Lung04 trial.

In the SAFFRON trial, AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (osimertinib) plus Orpathys (savolitinib), developed with Hutchmed, met both its progression‑free survival and overall survival endpoints in EGFR‑mutated NSCLC with MET overexpression or amplification.

The two lung‑cancer wins are considered niche because they address biomarker‑selected subgroups, whereas the failed volrustomig trial was aimed at a broader PD‑L1‑low first‑line NSCLC population.

AstraZeneca halted the eVOLVE‑Lung02 phase 3 study of volrustomig plus chemo after an independent data‑monitoring committee concluded the regimen was unlikely to meet either of its dual primary endpoints of progression‑free or overall survival compared with Keytruda plus chemo.