**Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has announced that its chemotherapy-free combination significantly extended overall survival (OS) compared to standard of care in a subset of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.**
The phase 3 MARIPOSA study has been evaluating Rybrevant (amivantamab), an EGFR-MET bispecific antibody, plus Lazcluze (lazertinib), a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), against AstraZeneca’s own third-generation EGFR-TKI Tagrisso (osimertinib) as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC in patients with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations.
J&J previously reported in 2023 that the study met its primary endpoint, with the combination demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free (PFS) compared to Tagrisso.
New data presented at this year’s European Lung Cancer Congress showed that, at a median follow-up of 37.8 months, median OS for Rybrevant plus Lazcluze had not yet been reached, while median OS for Tagrisso-treated patients was 36.7 months.
Among patients receiving J&J’s combination, 56% were alive at three and a half years compared to 44% of patients on Tagrisso, with projections suggesting Rybrevant plus Lazcluze could extend median OS by at least 12 months compared to AZ’s drug.
The combination also prolonged multiple secondary endpoints versus Tagrisso, including intracranial PFSl, intracranial duration of response and intracranial overall response rate.
NSCLC accounts for up to 85% of all lung cancer cases, and alterations in EGFR are among the most common driver mutations in patients with this form of the disease.
“Right now, only 20% of patients with EGFR-positive NSCLC survive beyond five years,” explained Joshua Bauml, vice president, Lung Cancer Disease Area Stronghold Leader, J&J Innovative Medicine. “These MARIPOSA results suggest that Rybrevant plus Lazcluze can change this dire statistic that has been stagnant for far too long.”
“This regimen isn’t just extending survival, it’s offering hope. By using Rybrevant plus Lazcluze first, we’re delaying the need for chemotherapy and giving patients and their families more time,” Bauml added.
The announcement comes just three weeks after Lazcluze plus Rybrevant was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for EGFR-mutated NSCLC. The combination has also already been approved in the US, EU and other markets for this indication.
J&J said the latest OS results will be shared with health authorities globally.