The first treatment may finally be the targeted one for a stubborn lung cancer — and the responses are lasting

About 13 in every 100 people with the most common form of lung cancer carry the same faulty gene switch, called KRAS G12C — and until now, no targeted drug has been approved as their very first treatment, even though for many the disease moves too fast for a second chance. At the ESMO cancer congress in Madrid, Lilly shared early results for olomorasib, a daily pill designed to lock that faulty switch off, paired with the immunotherapy Keytruda. After a follow-up of nearly 21 months, the cancer had still not started growing again in the typical patient, and responses were still holding. When chemotherapy was added to the pairing, tumours shrank in 62% of patients, and those responses lasted a median of 14.5 months. A larger Phase 3 trial is already running, with results expected in the first half of 2027.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation