1st Jun 2023 08:07
(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Thursday hailed another approval for cancer drug Lynparza, while it ceased its development programme for Crohn's disease-focused brazikumab.
The Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company said it discontinued the brazikumab inflammatory bowel disease development programme for the monoclonal antibody, which was intended to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
"The decision to discontinue brazikumab's IBD development follows a recent review of brazikumab's development timeline and the context of a competitive landscape that has continued to evolve. The timeline was impacted by delays that could not be mitigated following global events. No safety concerns were identified for patients in these trials," AstraZeneca said.
Meanwhile, its cancer drug Lynparza won approval in the US as a combination with abiraterone to treat BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The combination showed a reduction in the risk of disease progression or death by 76% when compared to abiraterone alone.
Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca's Oncology Business unit, said: "There is a critical unmet need for new first-line treatment options for patients with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and this approval underscores the importance of BRCA testing at metastatic diagnosis. We look forward to bringing the benefit of this Lynparza combination to patients earlier in their treatment."
AstraZeneca shares were trading 0.7% higher at 11,738.00 pence each in London on Thursday morning.
By Tom Budszus, Alliance News reporter
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