MERCK
Keytruda
Keytruda increased OS compared to placebo in HCC patients previously treated with sorafenib.
Merck has announced the final results of the KEYNOTE-394 trial, which evaluated the efficacy of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) plus best supportive care in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who are prior treated with sorafenib. Patients from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia are included in the trial.
Keytruda is the first-PD-1/L1 therapy that showed improvement in the overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rate in second-line as monotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Keytruda + BSC reduced the risk of death by 21% compared to placebo + BSC. Median OS for patients on Keytruda + BSC was 14.6 months versus 13.0 months in patients on placebo + BSC. 34.3% of patients were alive after two years of treatment in Keytruda + BSC compared to 24.9% in patients on placebo + BSC.
Also read: Japan Pharma and Healthcare News
ASTRAZENECA
Imfinzi
Imfinzi reduced the risk of death by 20% in patients with biliary tract cancer.
AstraZeneca presented the TOPAZ-1 Phase III trial, which evaluated the efficacy of Imfinzi (durvalumab) as first-line therapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. Imfinzi plus chemotherapy combination showed statistically significant improvement in the overall survival and progression-free survival compared to chemotherapy alone.
In the interim analysis, the risk of death was reduced by 20% in Imfinzi plus chemotherapy combination compared to chemotherapy alone. The median OS was 12.8 in the Imfinzi arm compared to 11.5 months in chemotherapy. 25% of patients were alive after two years compared to 10% in patients on chemotherapy.
Imfinzi plus tremelimumab showed significant improvement in OS as 1L therapy in unresectable liver cancer
AstraZeneca has presented the trial results of tremelimumab plus Imfinzi as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable liver cancer.
In the HIMALAYA Phase III trial, the risk of death was reduced by 22% in patients on tremelimumab plus Imfinzi versus sorafenib. The median duration of response is 22.3 months in patients who were on tremelimumab plus Imfinzi arm compared to 8.4 months in patients on sorafenib. After three years of treatment, 31% of patients were alive compared to 20% in patients on sorafenib.