IQWiG considers added benefit of Tagrisso and Entresto

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now examined in an early benefit assessment whether AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) Tagrisso (osimertinib) offers an added benefit for lung cancer patients in comparison with the appropriate comparator therapy.

Tagrisso has been approved since February 2016 for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Depending on the patients' pre-treatment and mutation status, several research questions and corresponding appropriate comparator therapies were to be distinguished. An added benefit was not proven for any of the research questions because the drug manufacturer presented no study data suitable and informative for an early benefit assessment. The effects in its historical comparisons were too small to derive conclusions on an added benefit, the IQWiG concludes.