AstraZeneca says latest study data for Lynparza suggest improvement in overall survival in ovarian cancer
pharmafile | June 7, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | ASCO, AstraZeneca, NHS, lynparza, ovarian cancer, regulation
UK drugmaker AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) said mid-stage trials for Lynparza (olaparib) maintenance therapy suggest an improvement in overall survival (OS) for patients with ovarian cancer.
The company said the results come after olaparib was made available to NHS patients in England and Wales starting April 27 to treat ovarian cancer for patients who have had three or more courses of platinum-based chemotherapy.
Lisa Anson, Country President at AstraZeneca UK and Ireland said: “Women with recurrent BRCAm ovarian cancer often have a poor prognosis and these new data provide further evidence of the benefits that olaparib treatment can offer them. The data also provide additional support for the decision by NICE to make this targeted treatment available to NHS patients in England and Wales.”
Olaparib received European Marketing Authorisation for platinum-sensitive relapsed (PSR) BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients, who have had two or more courses of platinum-based chemotherapy on the basis of a Phase II study. These latest data are from a third interim analysis of the study, and are based on a 77% data maturity conducted after more than five years follow-up.
The results support the previously reported benefits of olaparib for patients with BRCAm ovarian cancer in progression-free survival (PFS).
Professor Jonathan Ledermann, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University College London Cancer Institute and lead author of Study 19 said: “These results are extremely encouraging. The data show that some ovarian cancer patients receive benefit from this treatment for over five years, which is significant for patients with limited treatment options.”
Ovarian cancer is a serious and life-threatening condition that causes more than 4,000 women in the UK to die each year. Up to 21% of women with the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer have the genetic BRCAm and it is this patient group for whom olaparib is licensed in Europe.
Anjali Shukla
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