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Magic little pill

With apologies to Alanis Morissette...


Today marks 4 years on Tagrisso, my magic little pill. I owe this pill my life and my markedly improved lung function. My lungs still aren’t normal – there is a lot of scarring, and I have to use a portable O2 concentrator when I fly. But I can now walk up hills, climb stairs, lift, bike, and hike without feeling short of breath.

Four years ago today in Prof. Dr. Reck’s office at the LungenClinic, we received the joyous news that I was a candidate for targeted therapy. It felt like winning the lottery because I could avoid chemo and have much better chances of managing the cancer. Genetic analysis showed I had the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation, and that there was a drug to target this mutation and stop the cells from reproducing. I also have the TP53 mutation, but there is no drug that targets it.

Tagrisso (osimertinib) was invented by AstraZeneca researchers in 2009 and approved by the FDA in 2015. It and other targeted therapies have enabled millions of people like me to live a full life even with late-stage cancer. I hate Big Pharma as much as the next person…but Big Pharma is also saving my life. AstraZeneca has a special program that covers 100% of the co-pay that isn’t paid by insurance (for me, that amounts to $1200/year, but the program covers up to $25K). So I haven’t had to pay anything for this life-saving medication. Of course, many others aren’t as lucky. The retail cost is $18-19K+ per month.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2026 at 5:13 PM

    Amazing pharmaceutical progress. Thankful for the life you share every day.

    ReplyDelete

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