AstraZeneca and Merck & Co. have reported impressive results in a late-stage trial of Lynparza in treating late-stage ovarian cancer
The results from the trial, presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. The median time patients lived without disease progression was over four months when compared to the physician’s choice of chemotherapy.
José Baselga, executive vice president, Oncology R&D, said: “Lynparza provides a much-needed alternative and improvement over standard-of-care chemotherapy for patients with BRCA-mutated, advanced ovarian cancer. This is the fourth positive Phase II/III trial in advanced ovarian cancer for Lynparza, across multiple lines of therapy. We look forward to working closely with regulatory authorities to include findings from this trial in the prescribing information for Lynparza.”
Lynparza, which is being jointly developed and commercialized by AstraZeneca and Merck, is approved for multiple indications in advanced ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer and has been used in over 20,000 patients worldwide.
Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of 19%. In 2018, there were over 295,000 new cases diagnosed and around 185,000 deaths.
Over 70 percent of women with ovarian cancer have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, with up to 80 percent at risk of recurrence after initial treatment.
AstraZeneca has 1,500 employees in Delaware.
