BRIEF—Lynparza OKed in Great Britain for early-stage breast cancer

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted a new marketing authorization for Lynparza (olaparib) in Great Britain.

Developed and marketed by AstraZeneca, Lynparza is approved for use as monotherapy or in combination with endocrine therapy for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, who have HER2-negative high risk early breast cancer previously treated with neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide with an estimated 2.3 million patients diagnosed per year.

Almost 56,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer per year in the UK, around 150 per day, accounting for 15% of all cancer cases.

Roughly 90% of all breast cancer patients in are diagnosed at an early stage of disease (stage I-IIIA)3 and BRCA mutations are found in approximately 5% of patients.

Despite breast cancer survival improving, one in three women may still experience a recurrence.6F When the cancer recurs, it is incurable.