Hutchison China, AstraZeneca Say Drug Shows Potential to Treat Lung Cancer

Hutchison China MediTech Ltd. (HCM.LN) and AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.LN) said jointly Tuesday that the drug savolitinib administered in conjunction with other drugs showed preliminary antitumor activity based on preliminary results of two clinical trials.

China MediTech discovered savolitinib and is developing the drug in cooperation with AstraZeneca. The two studies examined how the drug interacts with osimertinib and gefitinib--drugs trademarked by AstraZeneca--in the treatment of lung cancer.

More specifically, the studies observed how the drugs interacted with patients' epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

The results were presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Yokohama, Japan.

Write to Carlo Martuscelli at carlo.martuscelli@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 17, 2017 05:08 ET (09:08 GMT)