The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today, 23 September 2026, approved lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) for adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
The drug is approved for use in combination with atezolizumab as a maintenance treatment. This is for adults whose cancer has not progressed after first-line induction therapy with atezolizumab, carboplatin, and etoposide.
Lurbinectedin functions by attaching to DNA within cancer cells, which damages the DNA and hinders cell growth and multiplication, leading to cell death. It also reduces the activity of certain immune cells that contribute to tumour growth.
A main study involving 483 adults with extensive-stage SCLC showed that patients receiving lurbinectedin in combination with atezolizumab lived for an average of 13.2 months, compared to 10.6 months for those on atezolizumab alone. Patients also lived for an average of 5.4 months without their disease worsening, compared to 2.1 months for those receiving atezolizumab alone.
Julian Beach, MHRA Executive Director of Healthcare Quality and Access, stated that the approval provides a new treatment option. Common side effects include nausea, fatigue, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. The MHRA will continue to monitor the drug's safety through the UK Yellow Card scheme.