Eisai and Merck Sharp and Dohme to expand cancer trials

Eisai has announced that it will be expanding a pair of cancer studies it is conducting in partnership with Merck Sharp and Dohme.

The decision to broaden the scope of the phase Ib/II clinical studies is based on favourable interim analysis results, which have offered evidence supporting the enrolment of additional patients for both of these trials.

The first of these studies is assessing a combination of Eisai's Halaven and Merck's Keytruda for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, with the number of patients in this study to be increased to 150.

Early results have shown a strong objective response rate to the combination therapy, which was also demonstrated to offer similar antitumour activity regardless of whether PD-L1 was expressed or not.

The companies will also be expanding a study assessing another Keytruda-based combination, this time involving Eisai's Lenvima, for the treatment of endometrial carcinoma.

Again, a strong objective response rate was seen, while tumour regression was observed regardless of the state of microsatellite instability. As such, the target number of enrolled endometrial carcinoma patients will be increased to approximately 100.

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