PD-1/L1 competition is heating up in the new battleground of kidney cancer, as Merck & Co. Inc. announced its Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in combination with Pfizer Inc.’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor Inlyta (axitinib) has hit both overall and progression-free survival endpoints in the Phase III KEYNOTE-426 study in first-line advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
Merck & Co.’s Keytruda/Inlyta Combo Invades Kidney Cancer Territory
Merck & Co.’s IO powerhouse Keytruda has trumped Bavencio’s recent Inlyta combo PFS win in kidney cancer, with a OS and PFS combo hit of its own. But the field is getting increasingly crowded.

More from Immuno-oncology
Merck expects Keytruda to come under Medicare price controls in 2028, but an analyst said the subcutaneous version could shield revenues for the franchise.
J&J is confident that its bispecific antibody/kinase inhibitor combo’s overall survival win over AstraZeneca’s single-agent pill will shift the standard of care.
Increasingly focused on maximizing and accelerating the progress of its PD-L1 x VEGF inhibitor BNT357, the company expects new partnerships to be announced this year.
Sun is acquiring Checkpoint Therapeutics, opening up opportunities to build out its strategy in the onco-derm segment with the US firm’s FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 mAb.
More from Anticancer
Servier takes a Phase I rationally designed cancer candidate for $70m up front, while Black Diamond will wait on more mature data for its Phase II lead candidate in lung cancer.
Deal Snapshot: The antibody-drug conjugate field continues one of the hottest dealmaking spaces and Roche continues to invest heavily. Its latest pact could be transformative for the UK firm which already has a decent number of big pharma partners.
The acquisition is worth up to $1bn and adds to AstraZeneca’s broad array of cell therapy technologies.