European Commission grants marketing authorization to AstraZeneca's Lynparza

Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has received marketing authorization from the European Commission for Lynparza (olaparib) capsules for certain kinds of ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

It has been approved as the first therapy for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed BRCA-mutated (germline and/or somatic) high grade serous epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete response or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Olaparib exploits tumor DNA repair pathway deficiencies to preferentially kill cancer cells. A Phase II study showed that olaparib maintenance therapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared with placebo in BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer, with progression-free survival standing at a median of 11.2 months in the olaparib arm and 4.3 months in placebo.