OLAPARIB is a new class of anti-cancer drug that is known as a PARP inhibitor, a drug designed to fight breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers or cancers that arise as a result of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.
Developers of OLAPARIB
OLAPARIB was developed by KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnological company from the United Kingdom. KuDOS Pharmaceuticals has been a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca since 2006.
What OLAPARIB can offer cancer patients
Although still in clinical testing stages, OLAPARIB is expected to halt the repair of cells by the PARP protein. As a result of halted repairs, cancer cells start to die. However, normal cells which have BRCA repair can still be repaired and so will remain healthy.
What patients can expect from OLAPARIB
Patients can expect milder side effects from OLAPARIB compared to other chemotherapy drugs. These include nausea, somnolence, fatigue, loss of appetite, and thrombocytopenia. They can also expect to remain healthier because the drug only targets cancerous cells and tends to spare normal and healthy cells.
