Olaparib in combination with bevacizumab for ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer – maintenance therapy

Olaparib in combination with bevacizumab is in clinical development as a maintenance therapy for adult patients with advanced ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer that have responded to initial treatment with other types of chemotherapy. Advanced ovarian cancer includes a group of tumours that arise from diverse types of tissue contained in the ovary and can often spread from the ovary to any surface within the abdominal cavity including the fallopian tubes and peritoneal cavity. People with advanced ovarian cancer that have responded to initial treatment often require maintenance therapy to prevent or delay the recurrence and spread of the cancer.
Olaparib belongs to a group of drugs called PARP enzyme inhibitors while bevacizumab is an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody. Both drugs act in different but synergistic ways to kill tumour cells. It is thought that bevacizumab may increase the sensitivity of olaparib to killing the tumour cells. Olaparib administered orally as a monotherapy is already licensed as a maintenance therapy of advanced ovarian cancer. The addition of bevacizumab given by intravenous infusions may potentially improve treatment outcomes.