TESARO Announces Acceptance for Review of Niraparib Marketing Authorization Application by EMA

WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TESARO, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSRO), an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for niraparib has been submitted to and accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the maintenance treatment of patients with platinum-sensitive, recurrent ovarian cancer who are in response to platinum-based chemotherapy. With this acceptance, the review of the niraparib marketing authorisation application in the Centralised Procedure will now begin.

"TESARO is committed to improving the lives of patients with cancer by responsible development and commercialization, and the validation of the niraparib MAA represents a significant milestone for the Company," said Mary Lynne Hedley, Ph.D., President and COO of TESARO. "We believe niraparib could become an important new treatment option for patients. We look forward to working with the EMA during the review process and expect to complete our rolling NDA submission to the FDA for niraparib imminently."

The niraparib MAA is supported by data from the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial, which is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, international Phase 3 study of niraparib that enrolled 553 patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who were in a response to their most recent platinum-based chemotherapy. The full results of the NOVA trial were presented in detail at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2016 Congress in Copenhagen on October 8, 2016 and were published at the same time in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"The validation of our MAA for niraparib today marks an important step towards globalizing our mission of providing transformative therapies to people bravely facing cancer," said Orlando Oliveira, Senior Vice President and General Manager of TESARO International. "With the MAA for oral rolapitant already under review by the EMA, we are well positioned for two potential product launches in Europe in 2017."

About Niraparib
Niraparib is an oral, once-daily PARP inhibitor that is currently being evaluated in four ongoing pivotal trials. TESARO is building a robust niraparib franchise by assessing activity across multiple tumor types and by evaluating several potential combinations of niraparib with other therapeutics. The ongoing development program for niraparib includes a Phase 3 trial in patients with platinum-sensitive, recurrent ovarian cancer (the NOVA trial); a Phase 3 trial in patients with first-line ovarian cancer (the PRIMA trial); a registrational Phase 2 treatment trial in patients with ovarian cancer (the QUADRA trial); and a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of patients with BRCA-positive breast cancer (the BRAVO trial). Several combination studies are also underway, including trials of niraparib plus pembrolizumab and niraparib plus bevacizumab. Janssen Biotech has licensed rights to develop and commercialize niraparib specifically for patients with prostate cancer worldwide, except in Japan.