7th Aug 2019 11:14
(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC said on Wednesday that results from a trial of its Lynparza medication, which is already being used to treat ovarian cancer, showed it is also effective in prostate cancer treatment.
The medication, which is being jointly developed with US pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co Inc, has been approved for ovarian cancer treatment in 64 countries, including those in the European Union.
The trial found that when compared with anti-cancer treatments like enzalutamide and abiraterone, patients who took Lynparza showed an "improvement in the primary endpoint of radiographic progression-free survival", meaning they can live longer without the disease worsening.
Patients of the PROfound trial, were men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, a type of cancer which continues to grow even when amounts of testosterone in the body are reduced to low levels.
Lynparza is the only poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor - a type of medication that stops cancerous cells healing themselves - that has had positive phase three results in ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer, Astra said.
Oncology Research & Development Chief Jose Baselga said: "For men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer the disease remains deadly, especially in those who have failed on a new hormonal anticancer treatment.
"This trial is the only positive Phase III trial of any PARP inhibitor in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, where the need for new, effective therapies is high. The PROfound trial also demonstrates the potential value of genomic testing in this at-risk patient population. We look forward to discussing these results with global health authorities soon."
Shares in AstraZeneca were up 1.0% at 7,146.00 pence each in London on Wednesday morning.
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