A new experimental drug could offer a promising approach to treating men with advanced prostate cancer which does not respond to existing treatments, or develops resistance to them, researchers report.

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has strongly welcomed the approval by the European Commission of the targeted drug olaparib for men with advanced prostate cancers with genetic alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2.

A new precision drug which stops cancer from repairing its DNA has shown promise in an early-stage clinical trial – highlighting the potential of a new class of drugs known as ATR inhibitors.