Veliparib is a poly (adenosine diphosphate [ADP]–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor in phase III development.
According to a commentary, the design and results of the BrighTNess trial support the addition of carboplatin to neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. It suggests that once patients who are likely to benefit from the addition of platinum salts to neoadjuvant chemotherapy are better identified, the achievement of pathological complete responses might increase and, most importantly, fewer patients might have carboplatin-related toxicities. It notes however, that the trial did not answer the question of whether the addition of a single, potent PARP inhibitor to platinum monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting could improve the proportion of patients achieving a pathological complete response, or what optimal dose and schedule should be used in future trials testing these inhibitors.