Merck & Co. and Eisai recently announced the outcome of a Phase 3 study investigating the use of Keytruda plus Lenvima as a first-line treatment for certain patients with endometrial cancer. Unfortunately, the study did not meet its primary objectives.
The trial aimed to evaluate the overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma who are mismatch repair proficient/not microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient/not microsatellite instability-high when treated with the combination therapy. Regrettably, the combination did not demonstrate the desired results.
Despite these findings, both Merck and Eisai affirm their belief in the established benefits of Keytruda plus Lenvima for appropriate patients with particular forms of previously treated advanced endometrial carcinoma. They remain committed to further investigating the combination in patients with other challenging-to-treat cancers.
It is worth noting that Merck and Eisai joined forces in 2018 to collaboratively develop, manufacture, and commercialize Lenvima as a monotherapy and in conjunction with Merck’s widely-used cancer drug, Keytruda. Currently, this combination therapy is approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and certain types of advanced endometrial carcinoma in various countries, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan.