An AstraZeneca drug that blocks a cancer cell’s ability to repair its genetic code greatly reduced the risk of ovarian cancer worsening in a phase III trial, underpinning its lead against two U.S. rivals in the same class. Given as a maintenance therapy to reinforce initial chemotherapy, Lynparza halted or reversed tumor growth in 60 percent of patients three years into the trial. At year four, the progression-free survival (PFS) rate in the Lynparza group was still above 50 percent, against 11 percent for chemotherapy alone.
