Keytruda Expands Cervical Cancer Position With ESMO Data

Sep 21 2021

• By Alaric DeArment

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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.

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