Aug. 14 Clinical Quick Takes: Lynparza boosts ovarian cancer survival in first-line setting; plus Novavax, Gritstone and Solid

Lynparza extends PFS in first-line ovarian cancer
Lynparza olaparib plus bevacizumab as first-line maintenance therapy met the primary endpoint of significantly extending progression-free survival (PFS) vs. standard-of-care bevacizumab alone in advanced ovarian cancer patients in the Phase III PAOLA-1 trial. AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN;NYSE:AZN) and Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) will present detailed data at a future medical meeting. The news follows a string of clinical successes for AZ this summer (see "AZ Notches Another Win in Cancer with Tagrisso in NSCLC").

Novavax gains on RSV data
Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) jumped $1.74 (40%) to $6.04 Wednesday after announcing ResVax RSV vaccine reduced the incidence of serious adverse events diagnosed as pneumonia by 56.9% through the first year of life, as well as the incidence of pneumonia associated with RSV detection by 72.9% in the first 180 days of life, in infants via maternal immunization in the Phase III Prepare trial. In February, the company reported that the vaccine missed Prepare's primary endpoint (see "Novavax Down After Phase III Miss for RSV Vaccine in Infants")...