Iressa (gefitinib), a lung-cancer drug once thought to be a flop, could actually be of use to tens of thousands of patients. When AstraZeneca introduced Iressa in 2002 for the most common form of lung cancer, it quickly fizzled, as larger studies failed to demonstrate its effectiveness. Physicians, however, began to notice that the drug still seemed to work in certain groups, such as Asians and nonsmokers. Researchers are expected to present the results of a clinical study at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. The study of more than 400 Asian participants showed that Iressa stalled the progression of cancer for a median 9.5 months in patients with the mutation.

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