Keytruda Expands Cervical Cancer Position With ESMO Data

Data released at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) on Merck & Co., Inc.’s Keytruda strengthen the PD-1 inhibitor drug’s leading position in cervical cancer as the company moves the drug into the first-line setting. But Seagen Inc.  and Genmab A/S’s newly approved antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) means increased competition in the second-line setting of a cancer that affects a small population.

Roche Holding AG’s Avastin (bevacizumab) plus platinum chemotherapy had been the standard of care, but the field is seeing more and more entries. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) received US Food and...