A new combination therapy using Yuhan Corp.’s Leclaza and Johnson & Johnson’s Rybrevant has demonstrated significant survival benefits for lung cancer patients, outperforming AstraZeneca’s established treatment Tagrisso in a late-stage trial.
The Phase 3 study results, announced by J&J, indicate the dual-drug approach could extend patient survival by more than 12 months compared to Tagrisso monotherapy, which typically offers a 38.6-month survival period. This positions the combination as the first treatment to surpass Tagrisso’s effectiveness as the standard care option.
The findings could reshape the competitive landscape in the non-small cell lung cancer market, where AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso has maintained dominance. The Leclaza-Rybrevant combination offers an additional advantage by preserving chemotherapy as a backup treatment option, according to Kiwoom Securities analyst Huh Hye-min.
For Yuhan Corp., which licensed the technology to J&J’s Janssen unit, the positive trial results could accelerate market penetration and boost royalty revenues. The market responded favorably to the announcement, with Yuhan’s shares climbing 10.13% to 133,700 won ($8.45) in Korean trading.
While specific survival data remains undisclosed, the chemotherapy-free treatment approach could give physicians more flexibility in managing patient care, potentially leading to broader adoption in clinical practice.
