PARP inhibitors exploit a weakness in cancers that already struggle to repair their DNA — typically those with BRCA mutations. Healthy cells have a backup repair pathway; BRCA-mutated cancer cells do not. Blocking PARP removes the remaining repair route, so damage accumulates until the cancer cell dies. This "synthetic lethality" is one of precision oncology's clearest success stories.
Class descriptions are written by the Priya Life Science editorial team. Individual drug pages combine that summary with live label, approval, manufacturer and shortage data from the U.S. FDA via the openFDA API. This page is general information and is not medical advice — it is not exhaustive, drugs within a class are not automatically interchangeable, and approvals and brand names differ between the US, EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions. Always consult the official prescribing information and your clinician or pharmacist. Related: Drug Shortages Tracker · FDA Approvals · All drug comparisons