Glaxo Gains First U.S. Approval This Year in Cancer Drug Push

GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s ovarian cancer drug Zejula won U.S. approval for use at an earlier stage of treatment, giving thousands more patients access to the therapy to help prevent their cancer from coming back.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval Wednesday. The decision further vindicates Glaxo’s $5 billion purchase of Tesaro Inc. in late 2018 -- Zejula was a key product in that deal -- and adds to the competition with AstraZeneca Plc’s cancer drug Lynparza.

The decision is the first of three cancer drug approvals that Glaxo expects this year as Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley expands ...