Japan OKs its first PARP inhibitor, plus asthma biologic, both from AstraZeneca

19 January 2018

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has won two new approvals in Japan, for Lynparza (olaparib), the first PARP inhibitor to be approved in the country, and for asthma drug Fasenra (benralizumab).

Lynparza, which is part of an up to $8.5 billion oncology collaboration the British firm entered into last year with Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), is approved as a maintenance therapy for patients with ovarian cancer.

Japan’s medicines regulator gave the nod on the basis of the pivotal SOLO-2 and Study 19 trials, which showed the drug achieved respectively a 70% and 65% improvement in progression-free survival over placebo.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK