Merck, AstraZeneca Lynparza wins limited label expansion endorsement
Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images News

By an 11-1 tally, a panel of advisors to the US FDA on Friday voted to expand the prostate cancer indication for Merck (NYSE:MRK) and AstraZeneca's (NASDAQ:AZN) Lynparza, though not as broadly as the drugmakers wanted.
The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee endorsed Lynparza (olaparib) plus abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone as first-line treatment for adults BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

This is an earlier line of treatment compared to the current label.
However, the committee did not recommend the Lynparza combination for those without the BRCA mutation.
Merck and AstraZeneca (AZN) expressed disappointment with the vote noting that a trial they conducted demonstrated the benefit of the treatment in a wide prostate cancer population.