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Merck’s Welireg Could Expand Into Broader Kidney Cancer Indication With Phase III Data

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The drug maker announced Phase III results for the HIF-2α inhibitor in renal cell carcinoma patients with disease progression following PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-VEGF therapy.

Merck announced results for Welireg in renal cell carcinoma after checkpoint inhibitor and anti-VEGF treatment • Source: Shutterstock

Merck & Co., Inc. stands to move the hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor Welireg (belzutifan) beyond its current indication of cancers associated with a rare genetic disorder, with results of a Phase III study showing it is effective in treating at least one of those cancers in a broader, heavily pretreated population as well.

Without disclosing data, the New Jersey-based drug maker announced results from the LITESPARK-005 trial comparing Welireg against everolimus in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whose disease had progressed following treatment with a PD-1 or PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor and a VEGF-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor

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