GSK acquires TESARO and with it Zejula, a PARP inhibitor currently approved to treat Ovarian Cancer

GlaxoSmithKline plc and TESARO Inc announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which GSK will acquire TESARO, an oncology-focused company based in Waltham, Massachusetts, for an aggregate cash consideration of approximately $5.1 billion (�4.0 billion). The proposed transaction will significantly strengthen GSK�s pharmaceutical business, accelerating the build of GSK�s pipeline and commercial capability in oncology. TESARO is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, with a major marketed product, Zejula (niraparib), an oral poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor currently approved for use in ovarian cancer. PARP inhibitors are transforming the treatment of ovarian cancer, notably demonstrating marked clinical benefit in patients with and without germline mutations in a BRCA gene (gBRCA). Zejula is currently approved in the US and Europe as a treatment for adult patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who are in response to platinum-based chemotherapy, regardless of BRCA mutation or biomarker status.