Clovis Oncology soars as Rubraca scores in ovarian cancer trial

US biotech Clovis Oncology (Nasdaq: CLVS) saw its shares leap as much as 60% to $8.5 on Friday, after the company announced that its Rubraca (rucaparib) treatment for ovarian cancer met its primary endpoint in a Phase III trial. The stock was still up 47.7% at $7.86 by close of trading.

Presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Virtual Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer (SGO), the ARIEL 4 study data demonstrate that Rubraca significantly improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy, including platinum-based chemotherapy, among patients with advanced, relapsed ovarian cancer and a deleterious BRCA mutation who have received two or more prior lines of chemotherapy.

“Data from the ARIEL4 study meaningfully enhance our understanding about the role of Rubraca among women with BRCA mutation-positive relapsed ovarian cancer, as well as the clinical relevance of BRCA reversion mutations,” said Dr Rebecca Kristeleit, co-coordinating Investigator of ARIEL4 and Consultant Medical Oncologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. “This is important because women with more advanced disease have fewer treatment options, and it is increasingly important to understand how specific mutations affect treatment outcomes,” she explained.