GSK PLC on Friday said niraparib, sold under the brand name Zejula, has shown long-term survival benefit in an ovarian cancer study.

The London-based pharmaceutical firm said data from the phase III prima study demonstrated that Zejula maintained a ‘clinically meaningful’ progression-free survival benefit as a maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed patients who were at high risk of early progression.

It said homologous recombination deficient patients, who were treated with Zejula, were predicted to be more than twice as likely free of progression of death at four years compared to a placebo.

Homologous recombination deficiency is when the human body is unable to repair double strand breaks in the DNA.

Head of Oncology Development Hesham Abdullah said: ‘Patients can face a high risk of recurrence when diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. The updated analysis of this study shows that Zejula can help patients potentially achieve a long-term remission.’

Zejula is the only once-daily oral monotherapy maintenance treatment approved in the US and the European Union for patients with first-line platinum-responsive advanced ovarian cancer, regardless of biomarker status, GSK said.

Shares were up 1.6% at 1,366.00 pence each on Friday afternoon in London.

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