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Two of AstraZeneca’s key cancer drugs win speedy approvals in Japan

Published: 10:48 02 Jul 2018 BST

cancer cell
Japan wants access to more modern medicines after years of slow adoption

Two of AstraZeneca PLC’s (LON:AZN) key cancer drugs have been approved by Japanese regulators, less than six months after getting the green light in Western markets.

Japan has traditionally been slow to adopt new medicines, but today’s approvals are part of a change in approach from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The FTSE 100 drugs giant that Imfinzi has been approved for use in lung cancer patients whose inoperable tumour has advanced locally but not spread widely around the body.

The drug was only given the thumbs-up in the same indication by the US Food and Drug Administration in February and it is still waiting on approval in the EU.

Lynparza also given thumbs-up

Japan also approved Lynparza for the treatment of breast cancer in patients with a specific gene mutation (BRCA mutation).

The drug, which Astra is developing alongside fellow Big Pharma Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK), is already approved for later use in ovarian and breast cancer patients with so-called BRCA mutations.

READ: Lynparza sails through late-stage ovarian cancer study

Lynparza, which had been dumped by AstraZeneca at one stage before being revived by current chief executive Pascal Soriot, is part of a class of treatments called PARP inhibitors.

PARP – or poly-ADP ribose polymerase – is a protein which helps damaged cells to recover. Taking a PARP inhibitor stops the protein from repairing cancer cells which the eventually die.

Astra shares fell 0.9% to 5,207p on Monday morning.

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