GlaxoSmithKline Says Ovarian Cancer Study Validates Tesaro Acquisition -- WSJ

By Carlo Martuscelli 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (September 30, 2019).

GlaxoSmithKline PLC has reported positive results from a study of a cancer drug in a clinical trial that a senior figure in the company said justified the decision to acquire cancer specialist Tesaro for $4.16 billion.

Axel Hoos, head of oncology research at the drugmaker, said Saturday the results of the phase 3 Prima study could change how women with ovarian cancer are treated.

Data from the clinical trial showed that women with ovarian cancer could benefit from treatment with Glaxo's drug Zejula regardless of whether they had specific genetic mutations, Glaxo said.

The pharmaceutical giant picked up the drug as part of its takeover of Tesaro in December. At the time, some financial analysts criticized the company for overpaying, and shares of Glaxo slumped after the deal was disclosed.

Dr. Hoos said these latest results show that the decision to buy Tesaro was justified. "[Zejula] was the main reason for buying Tesaro," he said.

The company said the study confirmed that the drug worked particularly well in patients with a mutated BRCA gene, as well in those with other mutations that had a similar effect. Overall, they make up 50% of the population of women with breast cancer.

Until now, treatment with PARP inhibitors, the class of drug that Zejula belongs to, has been aimed at treating those with these mutations -- limiting their uptake and requiring genetic testing.

However, the trial also showed that Zejula had a clinically meaningful positive effect on the other half of women that don't test positive for those biological markers, though not to as great of an extent.

Data from the Prima trial showed that the medicine reduced the risk of disease progression or death in women with advanced ovarian cancer by 38% when compared with placebo.

He said that the drug eventually could become a standard treatment, administered along with surgery or chemotherapy, and without the inconvenience of having to administer special genetic tests.

Nearly 300,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and it is the eight most common cancer for women around the world.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2019 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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