AstraZeneca and Merck announced that the results from the phase 3 PROpel trial have been published in NEJM Evidence. Results from the trial showed that LYNPARZA in combination with abiraterone plus prednisone significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) versus abiraterone plus prednisone, a standard of care, as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with or without homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene mutations.

Noel Clarke, Urological Surgeon and Professor of Urological Oncology at The Christie/Salford Royal Hospitals and University of Manchester, joint chief investigator of the PROpel trial and joint lead author of the NEJM Evidence manuscript, said, “It is critically important that we identify new first-line treatment options for patients with mCRPC. The data published in NEJM Evidence emphasize the therapeutic potential of combining olaparib with abiraterone and prednisone and demonstrate efficacy in a wider group of patients beyond those with documented DNA repair deficiency.”

Cristian Massacesi, Chief Medical Officer and Oncology Chief Development Officer, AstraZeneca, said, “These data demonstrate that the combination of LYNPARZA with abiraterone and prednisone afforded patients a median radiographic progression-free survival of over two years, regardless of biomarker status. If approved, the combination will offer patients with and without HRR gene mutations a new treatment option.”

Eliav Barr, Sr. Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Development, Chief Medical Officer, Merck Research Laboratories, said, “Publication of the PROpel data in NEJM Evidence reflects the benefit seen with the combination of LYNPARZAplus abiraterone and prednisone in the first-line setting of mCRPC, and we are pleased that these data have been selected for one of the first issues of this new journal.”

LYNPARZA is approved in the U.S. for patients with HRR gene-mutated mCRPC (BRCA-mutated and other HRR gene mutations) who have progressed following prior treatment with enzalutamide or abiraterone and in the European Union, Japan and China for patients with BRCA-mutated mCRPC who have progressed following prior therapy that included a new hormonal agent (NHA).