AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN) said a drug it has developed jointly with Merck has been approved for use in women with advanced ovarian cancer by the Chinese authorities.
Lynparza has been signed off as a maintenance treatment for a sub-group of women that have the HRD-positive form of the disease.
It follows a phase III trial which showed the drug significantly improved survival rates when used in combination with established treatment bevacizumab (known also as Avastin) versus those people receiving bevacizumab on its own.
"The maintenance treatment of Lynparza in combination with bevacizumab has shown to both improve progression-free survival and provide a clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival in patients with HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer following response to platinum-based chemotherapy.,” said AstraZeneca’s head of oncology, Dave Fredrickson in a statrement.
“I am thrilled we can now bring this targeted treatment option to these patients in China," he added,