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A new drug combo is reshaping treatment for a tough-to-treat lung cancer subtype. The phase 3 SAFFRON trial found that osimertinib plus savolitinib cut the risk of disease progression or death by 45% compared to chemotherapy in patients with MET-altered NSCLC that had progressed on osimertinib. Patients on the combo also lived nearly 5 months longer overall, and an FDA submission is already in.
For patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed on osimertinib — the current standard of care — options have been limited. MET overexpression or amplification drives resistance in roughly a third of these patients, and now the phase 3 SAFFRON trial has delivered a compelling answer: adding the MET inhibitor savolitinib to osimertinib significantly outperforms platinum-based chemotherapy.
The global trial enrolled 338 patients across 25 countries and randomized them to the oral doublet or IV chemotherapy. The results, presented at ESMO 2026 and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were striking enough for investigators and discussants alike to declare a "new global standard of care."
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Why it matters: This is the first oral combination to demonstrate improved PFS and OS over IV chemotherapy in osimertinib-resistant, molecularly defined NSCLC. Savolitinib is already approved in China, and an NDA has been submitted to the FDA — meaning this regimen could soon be available to U.S. patients who currently have few good options after osimertinib failure.
