HealthAugust 16, 2026

olaparib

oh-LAP-uh-rib

Definition

A PARP inhibitor medication used as a targeted therapy to treat certain types of cancer by preventing cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA.

Etymology

The name is a portmanteau derived from the chemical class of the drug (poly-ADP ribose polymerase, or PARP, inhibitor) combined with the suffix -ib, which is the standard naming convention for kinase or enzyme inhibitors in pharmacology.

In the news

In the article, olaparib is highlighted as a treatment that, when combined with abiraterone, provides significant clinical benefits for patients with specific genetic mutations in metastatic prostate cancer.

Giuseppe Procopio: New Insights from PROpel

Read the full article ↗

Oncodaily

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