GSK acquires oncology firm Tesaro for $5.1 billion

pharmafile | January 23, 2019 | News story | Research and Development |  Cancer, GSK, Tesaro, oncology, ovarian cancer 

British multinational GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have acquired US oncology firm Tesaro for $5.1 billion (£4 billion).

Tesaro, a Massachusetts-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, won approval for ovarian cancer drug Zejula in March 2017. Zejula, an oral poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, is currently approved in the US and Europe for adults with recurrent ovarian cancer.

PARP inhibitors have shown particular promise in treating ovarian cancer demonstrating marked clinical benefit in patients with and without germline mutations in a BRCA gene (gBRCA).

According to a statement from the British firm: “GSK also believes PARP inhibitors offer significant opportunities for use in the treatment of multiple cancer types. In addition to ovarian cancer, Zejula is currently being investigated for use as a possible treatment in lung, breast and prostate cancer, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other medicines, including with TESARO’s own anti-PD-1 antibody (dostarlimab, formerly known as TSR-042).”

Dr Mary Lynne Hedley, President and Chief Operating Officer, TESARO, commented: “This new partnership between TESARO and GSK marks an important milestone in advancing our mission of developing transformative therapies for individuals living with cancer. Together with GSK, we can accelerate and further advance TESARO’s development and commercialization initiatives and, ultimately provide more time for more patients.”

Louis Goss