Image: Breast epithelial cells under ER stress (Dr Chris Bakal, 2014)
The Institute of Cancer Research, London, strongly welcomes the news that talazoparib (trade name Talzenna) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with advanced breast cancer.
The drug follows another PARP inhibitor, olaparib, which was approved by the FDA earlier this year.
Science carried out at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) underpinned the development of PARP inhibitors for women with BRCA-mutant breast and ovarian cancer.
A team of ICR researchers, led by Professor Alan Ashworth, first described talazoparib in 2013.
Professor Chris Lord, Professor of Cancer Genomics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, who was part of the team, said:
“We’re very excited that the FDA has approved talazoparib for treating women with advanced breast cancer who have BRCA mutations. Five years ago at the ICR, we first showed its potential as a highly targeted breast cancer treatment.
“That talazoparib is now approved for cancer patients is testament to our work with many partners, including the funders of the research, Breast Cancer Now and Cancer Research UK, and those who conducted the subsequent clinical trials.
“It’s great that women with breast cancer in the US will now be able to benefit from talazoparib, as they have already begun to benefit from olaparib. We’re keen that both drugs should next be licensed in Europe and assessed by NICE, so women in the UK can gain access to them as soon as possible.”