Comprehensive medication guide to Lynparza including estimated pricing, availability information, side effects, and how to find it in stock at your local pharmacy.
Estimated Insurance Pricing
Classified as a Tier 5 specialty drug by most insurance plans; prior authorization is required by the majority of payers including Medicare Part D. With the Lynparza Co-pay Savings Program, commercially insured patients may pay as little as $0/month (savings up to $26,000/year). Medicare Part D enrollees benefit from the 2025 $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap.
Estimated Cash Pricing
Approximately $17,000–$20,000 per month at retail for a 30-day supply (60 tablets) without insurance; no generic is currently available. The AstraZeneca Co-pay Savings Program can reduce out-of-pocket cost to $0/month for eligible commercially insured patients.
Medfinder Findability Score
72/100
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Lynparza (olaparib) is a targeted oral cancer therapy classified as a PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) inhibitor. It was first approved by the FDA on December 19, 2014—making it the first PARP inhibitor ever approved for cancer treatment in the United States. It is manufactured by AstraZeneca.
Lynparza is approved across multiple cancer types including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and endometrial cancer. It is used primarily as a maintenance therapy—given after platinum-based chemotherapy to help prevent cancer recurrence—in patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations (BRCA1, BRCA2, or other HRR pathway genes). As of 2026, approximately 45,500 patients have been prescribed Lynparza since its initial approval.
Lynparza comes as 100 mg and 150 mg film-coated tablets taken twice daily by mouth. The standard dose for most indications is 300 mg (two 150 mg tablets) twice daily. There is no generic version available in the United States.
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Lynparza works through a concept called synthetic lethality. Cancer cells with BRCA1/2 mutations have a broken primary DNA repair pathway (homologous recombination repair). These cells become dependent on a backup system involving PARP enzymes to survive. When Lynparza blocks PARP, BRCA-mutated cancer cells lose their only remaining DNA repair mechanism and die—while normal cells, which have intact BRCA function, can compensate.
Lynparza inhibits PARP1, PARP2, and PARP3 enzymes. It also physically traps PARP proteins onto damaged DNA strands, amplifying its cancer cell-killing effect. This mechanism is effective not only in BRCA1/2-mutated tumors but also in cancers with other HRR pathway gene mutations that create similar DNA repair vulnerabilities.
Lynparza is metabolized primarily by CYP3A enzymes in the liver and has a half-life of approximately 14.9 hours, requiring twice-daily dosing to maintain steady therapeutic blood levels. It is taken orally and absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.
100 mg — tablet
Used when dose reduction is required (e.g., due to CYP3A inhibitor coadministration or side effects)
150 mg — tablet
Standard dose: two 150 mg tablets (300 mg total) taken twice daily approximately 12 hours apart
300 mg — tablet (2x150mg)
Standard total twice-daily dose for most FDA-approved indications; taken with or without food
Lynparza is not on the FDA Drug Shortages database as of 2026—supply is not the problem. However, patients regularly experience real difficulty accessing it because it is a specialty medication dispensed only through specialty pharmacy channels. Standard retail pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) do not typically stock Lynparza.
The primary barriers are administrative: prior authorization is required by almost all insurance plans, biomarker testing (BRCA/HRR) must precede any prescription, and specialty pharmacy routing must be arranged. Once these steps are complete, Lynparza is generally available through specialty pharmacy networks like CVS Specialty, Walgreens Specialty, and Accredo.
If you're having trouble locating a specialty pharmacy in your area with Lynparza in stock, medfinder calls pharmacies on your behalf and texts you the results—saving you hours of calling around yourself.
Lynparza is not a controlled substance and requires no special DEA registration or REMS enrollment to prescribe. Any licensed physician can technically write a prescription. However, in practice, Lynparza is exclusively prescribed by oncology specialists because every indication requires prior biomarker testing, chemotherapy coordination, and ongoing hematologic monitoring that necessitates specialist involvement.
Gynecologic oncologists — for ovarian, fallopian tube, primary peritoneal, and endometrial cancers
Medical oncologists / breast oncologists — for BRCA-mutated early and metastatic breast cancer
Genitourinary (GU) / urologic oncologists — for HRR gene-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
GI / medical oncologists — for germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer
Telehealth has a limited role for Lynparza. Major cancer centers (MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic, Dana-Farber) offer telehealth second-opinion consultations that can be valuable for newly diagnosed patients. Follow-up monitoring visits for established Lynparza patients may also be conducted via telehealth in some oncology practices.
No. Lynparza (olaparib) is not a controlled substance and has no DEA schedule. It does not require any special prescriber DEA registration, and there are no federally mandated refill restrictions based on controlled substance classification. There is also no REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) program requiring special prescriber enrollment for Lynparza.
While Lynparza is not a controlled substance, it is still a prescription-only medication and a specialty drug. It cannot be obtained without a valid prescription from a licensed prescriber, and it must be dispensed through a specialty pharmacy. Prescriptions can be written for multiple fills, and refills are subject to specialty pharmacy policies and insurance authorization rather than DEA controlled substance rules.
The following side effects occur in 10% or more of patients receiving Lynparza as a single agent:
Nausea (most common — very common, especially in first weeks)
Fatigue and asthenia (weakness)
Anemia (low red blood cells)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Decreased appetite
Headache and dizziness
Taste changes (dysgeusia)
Cough and shortness of breath (dyspnea)
Neutropenia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia (low blood counts)
MDS/AML — Myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia, occurring in ~1.2% of patients; often fatal; requires treatment discontinuation
Pneumonitis — Lung inflammation; must discontinue Lynparza if confirmed
Venous thromboembolism — Blood clots in veins or lungs (pulmonary embolism); seek emergency care
Embryo-fetal toxicity — Can harm unborn babies; effective contraception required during treatment and for 6 months after last dose (women) or 3 months after (male patients)
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Niraparib (Zejula)
Once-daily PARP inhibitor approved for ovarian and endometrial cancer maintenance; some indications do not require biomarker testing; higher rates of thrombocytopenia vs. Lynparza
Talazoparib (Talzenna)
Most potent PARP trapper; approved for gBRCAm HER2-negative breast cancer and mCRPC (with enzalutamide); once-daily dosing; significant hematologic toxicity
Akeega (niraparib + abiraterone)
Fixed-dose combination tablet approved for BRCA-mutated mCRPC and metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer with BRCA2 mutation
Platinum-based chemotherapy (carboplatin/cisplatin)
Standard backbone chemotherapy used before PARP inhibitor maintenance; BRCA-mutated tumors show particular sensitivity to platinum agents
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Strong CYP3A inhibitors (itraconazole, ketoconazole, clarithromycin, ritonavir)
majorIncrease olaparib AUC by up to 170%; reduce Lynparza dose to 100 mg BID if coadministration is unavoidable
Moderate CYP3A inhibitors (fluconazole, diltiazem, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, verapamil)
moderateIncrease olaparib exposure significantly; reduce Lynparza dose to 150 mg BID if coadministration is unavoidable
Strong CYP3A inducers (rifampin, phenytoin, carbamazepine, St. John's Wort)
majorDecrease olaparib AUC by up to 87%; avoid concomitant use — may render Lynparza ineffective
Moderate CYP3A inducers (efavirenz, modafinil, bosentan, apalutamide)
moderateDecrease olaparib exposure; avoid if possible — may reduce efficacy
Grapefruit and Seville oranges
moderateNatural CYP3A inhibitors; avoid entirely during Lynparza treatment as they can increase olaparib blood levels
Myelosuppressive anticancer agents
majorPotentiates and prolongs myelosuppressive toxicity; requires close CBC monitoring when combined
Lynparza represents one of oncology's most significant breakthroughs of the past decade. As the first FDA-approved PARP inhibitor, it pioneered the concept of precision medicine for DNA repair-deficient cancers and has since expanded to cover five cancer types. For patients with BRCA1/2 or HRR gene mutations, it offers a meaningful maintenance therapy option that can extend progression-free survival.
The biggest challenges with Lynparza are access-related rather than supply-related: navigating prior authorization, specialty pharmacy routing, and the drug's high retail cost. The good news is that AstraZeneca's Access 360 program and copay savings programs make Lynparza financially accessible for most patients with commercial insurance, and the AZ&Me patient assistance program provides free drug for qualifying uninsured patients.
If you're struggling to find a specialty pharmacy that has Lynparza in stock, medfinder can call pharmacies near you and text you the results, taking the pharmacy-hunting burden off your plate so you can focus on your treatment.
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Our medication guides are researched and written to help patients make informed decisions. All content is reviewed for accuracy and updated regularly. Learn more about our standards
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