Astrazeneca, Merck wins EU nod for Lynparza to treat breast cancer

New Delhi: AstraZeneca and Merck & Co., Inc. (MSD) recently announced the European Commission (EC) has approved Lynparza (olaparib) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA1/2-mutations (gBRCAm), and who have human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative locally-advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Under the licensed indication, patients should have previously been treated with an anthracycline and a taxane in the (neo)adjuvant or metastatic setting unless they were unsuitable for these treatments. Patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer should also have progressed on or after prior endocrine therapy, or be considered unsuitable for endocrine therapy.

Read Also: AstraZeneca, Merck, Myriad expands companion diagnostic partnership

The approval of the drug was based on the findings of the phase 3 OlympiAD trial which evaluated the drug against physician's choice of chemotherapy.

In the trial, Lynparza provided patients with a statistically-significant median progression-free survival improvement of 2.8 months (7.0 months for Lynparza vs. 4.2 months for chemotherapy). Patients taking Lynparza experienced an objective response rate (ORR) of 52%, which was double the ORR for those in the chemotherapy arm (23%).

Roy Baynes, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Development, Chief Medical Officer, MSD Research Laboratories, said, “In the OlympiAD trial, which supported this approval, Lynparza demonstrated a meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared to chemotherapy in patients with germline BRCA-mutated metastatic breast cancer. We look forward to making this new option available across the EU, where we hope it will improve outcomes for many patients.”

Read Also: AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo sign $6.9 billion cancer drug deal

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology, “With this approval, Lynparza provides patients throughout the EU with a targeted and oral chemotherapy-free treatment option for difficult-to-treat cancer. It also reinforces the importance of testing for biomarkers including BRCA, hormone receptor and HER2 expression, helping physicians to make the most informed treatment decisions for patients.”

This is the third indication for Lynparza in the EU, and AstraZeneca and MSD are working together to deliver Lynparza as quickly as possible to more patients across multiple settings. Lynparza has a broad clinical development programme, including the ongoing Phase III Olympia which is testing Lynparza as an adjuvant treatment in patients with gBRCAm HER2-negative breast cancer.

Read Also: AstraZeneca gets EU nod to diabetes drug Forxiga