AstraZeneca advances lung cancer portfolio

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Nitin Kapoor, AstraZeneca Vietnam chairman and general director said, "With the latest data in hand, we're taking a pivotal step in shaping the future of lung cancer treatment. It offers compelling evidence of the potential our diverse therapy pipeline has in enhancing patient outcomes across various disease stages. Such advancements further drive our unwavering global efforts, and those in Vietnam, to combat lung cancer."

"Our commitment spans raising awareness, boosting screening and early diagnosis rates, and facilitating patient access to healthcare through initiatives like Healthy Lung and Love your Lungs."

"Moreover, we are constantly pushing the scientific boundaries to introduce transformative medicines. I am confident that, with unified efforts, we can significantly better the lives of innumerable lung cancer patients in Vietnam and around the world," he added.

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, at the Love your Lungs launch event in August

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with an estimated 1.8 million fatalities in 2020.

In Asia, an increasing number of non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer, especially young women. Additionally, the prevalence of well-characterised genomic drivers is different compared to Western populations. Those in Asia have higher rates of epidermal growth factor receptors and lower rates of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene mutations.

Prof. Pan-Chyr Yang from the Department of Internal Medicine at National Taiwan University's College of Medicine said, “The expert consensus calls for urgent changes to initiate low-dose computed tomography screening programmes for people who could be at risk of lung cancer across Asia. It is important to introduce more sensitive screening across the region, driving earlier detection when there is a greater potential for cure.”

Hundreds of people benefited from a free-of-charge examination, including X-ray and consultancy, at the Love your Lungs launch event

Supporting our ambition to eliminate cancer as a cause of death, AstraZeneca is investing in early screening, which is essential in reducing lung cancer mortality.

Published in 2023, a first-of-its-kind consensus paper for the Asian population was developed by the Lung Ambition Alliance to provide recommendations on lung cancer screening in Asia.

AstraZeneca is a founding member of the Lung Ambition Alliance, a global coalition working to accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful improvements for people with lung cancer, including and beyond treatment.

In Vietnam, AstraZeneca has cooperated with six hospitals across the country to implement AI software for lung X-rays. The initiative is part of AstraZeneca's global lung cancer screening and early diagnosis project in Vietnam.

Additionally, AstraZeneca is implementing the Healthy Lung programme, which is a multinational scheme that aims to improve the quality of outpatient management for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer in nine Asian countries.

Vietnamese lung cancer patients will benefit from the Vietnam Healthy Lung programme that is running from 2021 to 2023, for which an MoU was signed between the Medical Services Administration, the Ministry of Health (MoH), and AstraZeneca following the success of the first phase from 2017 to 2020.

In August, the MoH and the Bright Future Fund, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, launched a five-year lung cancer awareness campaign called Love your Lungs with the key message Prompt Screening, Early Healing. The campaign aims to raise public awareness about lung cancer, promote screening programmes for high-risk populations, and increase early diagnosis rates to improve patient outcomes.

Recognising the interconnection between climate and health, AstraZeneca is working with governments and policymakers worldwide to advance sustainable healthcare solutions that protect patients while reducing the environmental footprint of care.

Together, everyone involved in healthcare delivery has a collective responsibility to reduce emissions and deliver more sustainable, resilient healthcare – for the health of people, society, and the planet.

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