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Keytruda Expands Cervical Cancer Position With ESMO Data

 
• By Alaric DeArment

In addition to securing a key position in first-line disease, Keytruda has potential to expand its presence in later lines with combination data from Seagen/Genmab’s Tivdak.

3d illustration of T cells attacking a cancer cell
Merck presented data at ESMO on Keytruda in first-line cervical cancer • Source: Shutterstock

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 Drug Administration accelerated approval in June 2018 for cervical cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease whose cancer had progressed during or after chemotherapy, based on results of the Phase II KEYNOTE-158 study. And in addition to the data released at ESMO, in May Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi’s PD-1 inhibitor, Libtayo (cemiplimab), showed positive data in recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer in a Phase III trial. (Also see "Cervical Cancer Data Inject Fresh Life Into Sanofi's Libtayo" - Scrip, 13 May, 2021

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