Lynparza manufacturer expresses disappointment at pCODR ruling against drug
AstraZeneca Canada, the manufacturer of ovarian cancer treatment drug Lynparza (olaparib), has hit back at the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) for not recommending the drug for provincial reimbursement. AstraZeneca describes the drug as “the first and only PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) inhibitor available.”
“We are surprised and deeply disappointed in pCODR's assessment of Lynparza,” said Mark Findlay, vice president, Patient Access & Established Brands, AstraZeneca Canada. He reported that the drug has earned approval from regulatory bodies around the world, as well as Canadian oncologists and patient organizations. He added that countries with similar agencies as pCODR already allow reimbursement of the drug.
All those endorsements of the drug – along with positive assessments from Health Canada and the USFDA based on its efficacy and safety data – apparently didn’t matter to the Canadian review body, which in its assessment questioned its clinical benefits. Lynparza was first approved by the FDA in 2014 in an accelerated approval process. Since then, more than 45 countries have approved it. “Canada is now falling behind emerging economies, including Greece, Romania, Hungary and Poland, when it comes to providing public funding for this innovative, targeted therapy,” said the statement.
Lynparza is a maintenance treatment, prolonging the interval between chemotherapy sessions for patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer. It has been shown to help cancer patients to go for almost a year without progression of the disease or the need for subsequent chemotherapy treatment.
“Ovarian cancer affects hundreds of Canadian women in the prime of their lives,” said Dr. Michael Fung-Kee-Fung, head of the surgical oncology program at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre and a professor at the University of Ottawa. “PARP inhibitors, such as olaparib, remain one of the most promising classes of drugs presently available for this unique segment of ovarian cancer patients. It is imperative that every effort be made to reduce barriers to appropriate access.”
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