Osimertinib (marketed under the name Tagrisso) targets a particular type of lung cancer. After five years, 88% of patients who took the treatment were still alive, compared to 78% who took a placebo.
The drug helps "prevent the disease from spreading to the brain, liver and bones," says Yale University's Roy Herbst. It is already licensed in dozens of countries, and has already been given to some 700,000 people, AstraZeneca says.