IN AN advancement for Australian women battling ovarian cancer, GSK Australia announced yesterday the expansion of PBS access to the drug Zejula (niraparib).
Zejula, a once-daily capsule designed for the treatment of newly diagnosed homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) positive advanced ovarian cancer, specifically targets those without the BRCA mutation.
This group represents around 25% of women diagnosed with this challenging disease.
Zejula, as a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, functions by preventing the repair of damaged ovarian cancer cells, leading to their death.
Starting this year, patients have been able to undergo a newly reimbursed HRD test to determine their eligibility for Zejula, marking a shift in treatment accessibility and personalised medicine.
HRD, a condition in which cancer cells lose the ability to repair damaged DNA, plays a crucial role in ovarian cancer's resistance to medical treatment.
The testing for HRD is essential for guiding the use of targeted therapies like PARP inhibitors, and is performed on tumour samples from surgery or biopsy.
It is distinguished as the only TGA approved and PBS reimbursed monotherapy maintenance treatment for HRD-positive women, allowing for standalone use without additional treatments.
GSK stated Zejula's availability as a first-line maintenance treatment post-surgery and chemotherapy offers a new horizon for ongoing treatment with a tailored approach through individualised dosing to minimise adverse effects. JG
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