Detailed results from the TROPION-Lung01 Phase III trial showed a clinically meaningful trend toward improving overall survival (OS) with datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) compared to docetaxel, the current standard of care chemotherapy, in adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with at least one prior line of therapy.

These results will be presented today during an oral presentation (OA08.03) at the IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and simultaneously published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Datopotamab deruxtecan is a specifically engineered TROP2-directed DXd antibody drug conjugate discovered by Daiichi Sankyo and being jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo.

Jacob Sands, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Medical Oncology and investigator in the trial, said: “Despite many efforts to surpass docetaxel with novel approaches in previously treated advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, patients only survive for about one year. For datopotamab deruxtecan to show a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival along with improved response rate, duration of response and an overall survival improvement numerically consistent with progression-free survival is clinically meaningful for patients with nonsquamous lung cancer.”

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “TROPION-Lung01 showed a clinically meaningful trend towards improving the survival of patients with advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer, building on the previously reported progression-free survival data. Together with the data we have presented for the potential TROP2-QCS biomarker and from NeoCOAST-2 in early-stage disease, these results underscore our confidence in the important role datopotamab deruxtecan can play across segments and settings of non-small cell lung cancer.”

Ken Takeshita, MD, Global Head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo, said: “For patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer, disease progression is common, making this patient population difficult to treat. The data from TROPION-Lung01 demonstrate the potential of datopotamab deruxtecan in this setting and support our comprehensive development programme where we are also evaluating this TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugate as part of combination strategies in earlier treatment settings of non-small cell lung cancer.”