Great news for high-risk breast cancer patients who have early stage or advanced metastasized cancer. Lynparza is the first PARP inhibitor drug specifically approved as treatment for BRCA- mutated breast cancer.
AstraZeneca and Merck’s Lynparza (olaparib) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a targeted treatment option for patients with germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) high-risk human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer.
Lynparza’s Phase III OlympiA trial results showed an impressive reduction in risk of death by 32% in high-risk breast cancer patients who had previously been treated with chemotherapy either before or after surgery.
According to Astrazeneca, Lynparza improved the three-year survival rate to 92.8% versus 89.1% for those on placebo. At four years, the survival benefit was maintained with 89.8% of patients treated with Lynparza alive versus 86.4% of those on placebo. The safety and tolerability profile of Lynparza in this trial was in line with that observed in prior clinical trials.
The American Cancer Society estimates in 2022 about 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States. BRCA mutations are found in approximately 5-10% of patients.
Nearly 91% of breast cancers are caught early and have good outcomes, but for women with a higher risk diagnosis the chance of cancer returning can be high. OlympiA’s latest exciting results is the first time a PARP inhibitor delivers a survival benefit and reduces the risk of reoccurrence for women with breast cancer and the BRCA mutation.
