FDA approves today Rubraca (rucaparib) to treat women with advanced ovarian cancer that has BRCA gene mutation.
BRCA genes are involved with repairing damaged DNA. Thus, under normal conditions, they work to prevent tumor development. However, mutations (abnormalities) of these genes may lead to certain cancers, which include breast and ovarian cancers. Rubraca is a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that blocks an enzyme (a protein involved in catalytic reactions in our body), which is involved in repairing damaged DNA. By blocking this enzyme through Rubraca, DNA inside the cancerous cells with damaged/mutated/abnormal BRCA genes may be less likely to be repaired by the enzyme, which leads to cell death and potentially a slow-down or inhibition of tumor growth.
Common side effects of Rubraca include nausea, fatigue, vomiting, low levels of red blood cells (anemia), abdominal pain, unusual taste sensation (dysgeusia), constipation, decreased appetite, diarrhea, low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) and trouble breathing (dyspnea). Rubraca is associated with serious risks, such as bone marrow problems (myelodysplastic syndrome), a type of cancer of the blood called acute myeloid leukemia and fetal harm.
Rubraca is marketed by Clovis Oncology, Inc. based in Boulder, Colorado. The FoundationFocus CDxBRCA companion diagnostic is marketed by Foundation Medicine, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
For more information visit the FDA's website: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm533873.htm
Common side effects of Rubraca include nausea, fatigue, vomiting, low levels of red blood cells (anemia), abdominal pain, unusual taste sensation (dysgeusia), constipation, decreased appetite, diarrhea, low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) and trouble breathing (dyspnea). Rubraca is associated with serious risks, such as bone marrow problems (myelodysplastic syndrome), a type of cancer of the blood called acute myeloid leukemia and fetal harm.
Rubraca is marketed by Clovis Oncology, Inc. based in Boulder, Colorado. The FoundationFocus CDxBRCA companion diagnostic is marketed by Foundation Medicine, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
For more information visit the FDA's website: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm533873.htm
