Zejula vs Rubraca
Both are PARP inhibitors. Here is how Zejula and Rubraca compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
At a glance
Key differences
- Same class. Both Zejula and Rubraca are PARP inhibitors, so they work through the same broad mechanism. Differences between them tend to be about dosing, route, how selective they are, and side effects rather than what they target.
- How they are taken. Both are given by the oral route.
- Time on the market. Zejula was first approved by the FDA in 2017, Rubraca in 2016.
- Who markets them. Zejula is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline; Rubraca by Pharmaand.
What each one treats
ZEJULA is a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor indicated: • for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)-positive status defined by either: o a deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA mutation, and/or o genomic instability. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA‑authorized companion diagnostic for ZEJULA. ( 1.1 , 2.1 ) • for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA -mutated recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA‑authoriz…
RUBRACA is a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor indicated: Ovarian cancer for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with a deleterious BRCA mutation (germline and/or somatic)-associated recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. ( 1.1 ) Prostate cancer for the treatment of adult patients with a deleterious BRCA mutation (germline and/or somatic)-associated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with androgen receptor-directed therapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for RUBRACA. ( 1.2 , 2.1 ) 1.1 Maintenance Treatment of BRCA -mutated Recurrent Ovarian Cancer RUBRACA is indicated for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with a deleterious BRCA mutation (germline and/or somatic)-a…
How each one works
12.1 Mechanism of Action Niraparib is an inhibitor of PARP enzymes, including PARP-1 and PARP-2, that play a role in DNA repair. In vitro studies have shown that niraparib-induced cytotoxicity may involve inhibition of PARP enzymatic activity and increased formation of PARP-DNA complexes resulting in DNA damage, apoptosis, and cell death. Increased niraparib‑induced cytotoxicity was observed in tumor cell lines with or without deficiencies in BRCA1/2 . Niraparib decreased tumor growth in mouse xenograft models of human cancer cell lines with deficiencies in BRCA1/2 and in human patient-derived xenograft tumor models with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) that had either mutated or w…
12.1 Mechanism of Action Rucaparib is an inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes, including PARP-1, PARP-2, and PARP-3, which play a role in DNA repair. In vitro studies have shown that rucaparib-induced cytotoxicity may involve inhibition of PARP enzymatic activity and increased formation of PARP-DNA complexes resulting in DNA damage, apoptosis, and cancer cell death. Increased rucaparib-induced cytotoxicity and anti-tumor activity was observed in tumor cell lines with deficiencies in BRCA1/2 and other DNA repair genes. Rucaparib has been shown to decrease tumor growth in mouse xenograft models of human cancer with or without deficiencies in BRCA .
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How this page is built
The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.
- FDA Drug Label (openFDA) ↗ Indications, mechanism of action and pharmacologic class
- Drugs@FDA ↗ First FDA approval date and the company holding the application
- FDA Drug Shortage Database ↗ Current US supply / shortage status
Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 6 Oct 2026. How every register is built: methodology · fixes we have made: corrections log.