US approves 'guided missile' drug to treat lung c.a.n.cer

The US has approved Datroway, an antibody-drug conjugate developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to treat non-small cell lung cancer.

The decision was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 23. Datroway is the first therapy in the US to be approved for use in lung cancer patients who have previously been treated with other therapies but have not been effective. The FDA's move expands access to cancer treatment for people with lung cancer.

Datroway belongs to a class of antibody-drug conjugates, often called "guided missiles" because of their ability to precisely attack cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. This approach is different from traditional chemotherapy.

The drug targets the TROP2 protein found on the surface of tumor cells, which is present in many types of cancer. Datroway was previously approved to treat a form of breast cancer.

“The first approval of Datroway in lung cancer provides a much-needed option for patients with advanced EGFR-mutant lung cancer who have become resistant to previous treatments, regardless of their underlying mutation,” said Dave Fredrickson, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca’s oncology research group.

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo began collaborating several years ago on developing cancer therapies. Their first product was Enhertu. In 2020, the two companies signed a cooperation agreement to develop and commercialize Datroway, with a deal value of up to $6 billion.



After Datroway was approved in the US, AstraZeneca said it would pay $45 million to Daiichi as a milestone in the collaboration.

Lung cancer is currently one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year the world records about 2.2 million new cases of lung cancer and nearly 1.8 million deaths, accounting for 18% of cancer deaths.

The 5-year survival rate in the late stage is only about 10-20%. Lung cancer is divided into two main types: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, accounting for about 85%) and small cell (SCLC). NSCLC is often associated with molecular mutations such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1... Datroway targets the TROP2 protein, opening up a new approach in treating cases resistant to previous treatments.