AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) announced that Lynparza in combination with bevacizumab has been approved in the US to treat certain types of advanced ovarian cancer.
The treatment targets tumours associated with homologous recombination deficiency, which is when ovarian cells struggle to repair themselves.
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Lynparza is a PARP inhibitor, so it stops the PARP protein from repairing damaged cancer cells, while bevacizumab “starves” the tumour by preventing the growth of blood vessels.
Lynparza is already approved in several other countries for other types of advanced ovarian cancer as well as pancreatic and breast cancers.
In two separate announcements, the FTSE 100-listed pharma giant announced it completed the recovery of global rights to brazikumab while its candidate Enhertu received a fast-track designation.
Brazikumab, an antibody currently being tested to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, was licensed to Allergan plc (NYSE:AGN) in 2016.
But Allergan had to divest a number of drugs to get EU approval for its merger with Abbvie, so it agreed to give brazikumab back funding “up to an agreed amount” for the development of the candidate for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, under a termination agreement.
Meanwhile stomach cancer drug Enhertu, jointly developed with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, was granted ‘breakthrough therapy designation’ in the US after patients in early clinical trials showed substantial improvement.
The label speeds up development and regulatory review of candidates for life-threatening conditions which are lacking treatment.
Shares were flat at 8,591p on Monday at the opening bell.