Key Highlights

  • HUTCHMED (NASDAQ:HCM) reported that ORPATHYS plus TAGRISSO reduced the risk of progression or death by 44% in the SANOVO Phase III intention-to-treat population.
  • Median progression-free survival was 24.9 months versus 13.8 months for TAGRISSO alone.
  • Median overall survival was 44.5 months versus 34.9 months (HR 0.48).
  • In the high MET population, risk of progression or death fell 55% (HR 0.45).

HUTCHMED (China) Limited (NASDAQ:HCM) announced on 26 October 2026 positive results from the SANOVO Phase III trial in China, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid. The trial tested ORPATHYS (savolitinib) plus TAGRISSO (osimertinib) against TAGRISSO alone in treatment-naïve patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and MET overexpression.

Progression-Free Survival Results

In the intention-to-treat population, which included patients with MET IHC 2+ and 3+, the combination reduced the risk of progression or death by 44% (hazard ratio 0.56; 95% CI 0.43 to 0.74; p<0.0001). Median progression-free survival was 24.9 months for the combination and 13.8 months for TAGRISSO alone.

In the high MET overexpression (IHC 3+) population, the risk fell by 55% (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.66; p<0.0001), with median progression-free survival of 24.8 months versus 11.1 months, an extension of 13.7 months.

Overall Survival and Program Context

For the secondary endpoint of overall survival in the intention-to-treat population, the combination showed a hazard ratio of 0.48 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.68). Median overall survival was 44.5 months versus 34.9 months, a difference of 9.6 months. An estimated 67.4% of patients on the combination were alive at three years, compared with 47.4% in the comparator arm. HUTCHMED said the survival curves continued to separate with longer follow-up and that the benefit was consistent across all prespecified subgroups.

Professor Yi-Long Wu, the lead principal investigator at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, described the results as an evolution in first-line treatment for the population. Acting CEO and CFO Johnny Cheng said SANOVO, together with the SAFFRON and SACHI studies, forms a treatment continuum for the combination from frontline use to post-EGFR-TKI resistance. HUTCHMED is listed on Nasdaq and AIM and on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The SANOVO analysis used a PFS data cut-off of 31 July 2026. In the intention-to-treat population, 101 of 162 patients (62.3%) on the combination and 124 of 164 (75.6%) on TAGRISSO alone had a progression event, and 49 patients (30.2%) versus 83 (50.6%) had died. The safety profile was described as manageable, with treatment discontinuation due to adverse events in 14.8% of patients on the combination, and fatal adverse events excluding disease progression at 4.3% versus 4.8%.

Why This Could Matter

The data come from a Phase III randomized comparison and include both progression-free and overall survival measures. The company positions the combination as an all-oral, biomarker-directed option for patients with MET overexpression. The results are from a trial conducted in China, and the announcement does not discuss regulatory filings or timelines.

AstraZeneca's head of R&D China, quoted in the release, said the results build on the SAFFRON and SACHI studies. The announcement also references a presentation of SAFFRON Phase III data at an ESMO Presidential Symposium. All figures in the release refer to a trial conducted in China.

The Bottom Line

HUTCHMED's SANOVO trial reported a 44% reduction in the risk of progression or death and a 9.6-month difference in median overall survival for the savolitinib-osimertinib combination against osimertinib alone.