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The most frequent type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancers account for around 80% of lung tumours, and mutations like the G12C KRAS gene mutation can play a role in the cancer's capacity to grow, infiltrate, and disseminate.

In the United States, more than 200,000 new cases of non-small cell lung cancer are identified each year, and lung cancer remains the leading cause of death.

It is intended to counteract the effects of the G12C KRAS gene mutation, which is seen in around 13% of individuals with lung adenocarcinoma, a kind of non-small cell lung cancer.

Amgen, the drug's manufacturer, funded the new international phase 2 clinical trial. The researchers looked at how well Sotorasib worked in 126 patients with malignancies that carried the G12C KRAS gene mutation. Some tumours shrink in size.

The drug's effects lasted an average of 11 months, with approximately seven months of progression-free survival (meaning the tumour did not grow during that time).

According to the report, the average overall survival for all patients in the trial was 12.5 months, which will be presented on June 4 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual (virtual) meeting.

In terms of side effects, the study found that roughly 7% of patients stopped taking Sotorasib because of severe adverse effects; however none of the problems were life-threatening. Side effects were severe enough in 22% of individuals to necessitate a dose reduction. The most prevalent side effects were diarrhoea, exhaustion, nausea, and elevated liver enzyme levels, with the last being the most common.

In patients with this specific kind of KRAS mutant lung cancer, Sotorasib exhibited clinically substantial improvement without any additional safety concerns.

The new medicine fills a gap in the market for these patients by focusing on the most prevalent mutation that can be found.