Enhertu outperforms chemotherapy combo in HER2+ lung cancer trial

Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate Enhertu demonstrated superior efficacy in a phase 3 trial for patients with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer in first-line treatment, according to data presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The DESTINY-Lung04 study enrolled 454 patients across Asia, Europe, and North America, with analysis cut-off on June 9, 2026. Enhertu monotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 37% compared with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.63. Median progression-free survival was 14.3 months for Enhertu versus 8.3 months for the chemotherapy arm, while objective response rates were 70% versus 44.5%, respectively. Median duration of response was 13.4 months for Enhertu versus 9.7 months for the comparator. Overall survival data were 46.9% mature at analysis, though no formal hypothesis testing was conducted due to variability in subsequent therapies between groups. Safety data showed 34.1% of Enhertu patients experienced grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events, including 20.8% with interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis, with four grade 5 events reported.