Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is seeking the first regulatory approval in Japan for a drug that could treat people with hereditary cancer caused from specific gene mutations.
A spokeswoman for the drugmaker said Tuesday that the multinational company's Japanese arm is seeking approval for its drug Olaparib, which acts against cancers in people with hereditary mutations in genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer.
The pending application is for use of the drug only for ovarian cancer patients who have relapsed, the spokeswoman said, adding that the company hopes to get the green light sometime in the first half of next year.