"We're in the lead" with Lynparza, says senior AstraZeneca VP

At the annual congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) this week, AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) Susan Galbraith told The Pharma Letter the firm was “very proud to have had back to back presidential symposia” at the event, “last year with PACIFIC and FLAURA and this year with SOLO-1."

An audible gasp from the audience could be heard as the data from SOLO-1 were revealed, showing the striking impact of the firm’s PARP blocker Lynparza (olaparib) in treating people with ovarian cancer.

The data show that, as a first-line maintenance therapy, 60% of patients receiving Lynparza remained progression-free at three years, compared to 27% on placebo, a result that Dr Galbraith says has "simply never been seen before."