A recent clinical trial found that a combination of two drugs, savolitinib and osimertinib (sold as ORPATHYS and TAGRISSO), significantly improved survival in patients with a specific type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has a mutation in the EGFR gene. This type of lung cancer often becomes resistant to the standard drug osimertinib over time, leading to disease progression. The trial, called SAFFRON, compared this drug combination to standard chemotherapy in patients whose cancer had worsened after treatment with osimertinib alone. The results showed that the combination reduced the risk of the cancer worsening or death by 45% compared to chemotherapy. Patients taking the combination lived without their cancer progressing for an average of 7.6 months, compared to 5.4 months for those on chemotherapy. After one year, 36% of patients on the combination were still free of cancer progression, compared to just 10% on chemotherapy. The combination also improved overall survival, reducing the risk of death by 32%. Patients on the combination lived an average of 17.8 months, which is nearly 5 months longer than those on chemotherapy. The trial was led by Professor Shun Lu from the Shanghai Chest Hospital, who emphasized that the combination established a new standard for treatment in this later stage of the disease and highlighted the importance of testing for MET, a protein that can drive resistance to EGFR treatments. The side effects of the combination were manageable, with 64% of patients experiencing serious side effects compared to 63% on chemotherapy, and no new safety concerns were identified. The company behind the drugs, HUTCHMED, is now working with regulators in the US, Europe, and Japan to make this treatment option available to more patients.