Lynparza granted approval to treat prostate cancer in Japan
Betsy Goodfellow | August 25, 2023 | News story | Research and Development | Merck, Oncology, astra zeneca, prostate cancer
AstraZeneca and Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) have received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for Lynparza in combination with abiraterone and prednisolone. This approval follows the PROpel phase 3 trial results which showed the combination of these drugs reduced the risk of death or disease progression by 77%.
Mototsugu Oya, professor and chairman, Department of Urology at the Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, commented: “The PROpel trial showed that the combination of Lynparza plus abiraterone delivered clinically meaningful improvements in outcomes for patients with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. With this approval, patients in Japan will now have the opportunity to benefit from this new treatment combination which has the potential to become the new standard of care for patients with BRCA mutations.”
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in Japan yet the current treatment available is still poor – Lynparza, however, has shown significant improvements in cancer patients, so developers are hoping this new combination will make a large difference in survival rate.
Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: “This Lynparza combination has been shown to reduce the risk of disease progression or death compared to standard of care and underscores the critical importance of BRCA testing at metastatic diagnosis. Today’s approval is a major step forward for patients in Japan with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who urgently need new first-line treatment options.”
Rebecca Lee
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