AstraZeneca (AZN.US)’s blockbuster immunotherapy and Olaparib combination has been approved by the EU for the treatment of endometrial cancer

FTSE quoted app noticed that AstraZeneca (AZN.US) announced that its blockbuster PD-L1 inhibitor Imfinzi (durvalumab) and PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib, olaparib) have been approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment, followed by Lynparza and Imfinzi, has been approved for the treatment of mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) patients. For mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) patients, Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy followed by Imfinzi monotherapy has also been approved. According to the press release, this is the first approval of an immunotherapy and PARP inhibitor combination for the treatment of endometrial cancer.

Data shows that Imfinzi is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-L1 protein, blocking the interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 and CD80 proteins, and inhibits the immune evasion strategy against tumours, releasing the inhibition of the immune response. Lynparza is a “first-in-class” PARP inhibitor and the first synthetic lethal target therapy for the targeting of cells/tumours with homologous recombination repair (HRR) defects (such as those with BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutations).