AstraZeneca's Lynparza Delivers Progression-Free Survival of Over 4 Years in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) and Merck's (NYSE: MRK) drug Lynparza was approved for use as maintenance therapy in BRCA-positive, advanced ovarian cancer patients in 2018; on Friday, the healthcare companies unveiled long-term trial data that could increase its use in those patients. Specifically, five-year follow-up data from a trial evaluating Lynparza in patients with mutations to their BRCA gene who also responded to platinum-based therapy showed that the drug reduces the risk of disease progression by 67% compared to placebo. Although patients enrolled in the Solo-1 trial were given Lynparza for just two years, median progression-free survival (PFS) in those patients reached 56 months.