More data for PD-L1s avelumab, durvalumab
Abstracts released ahead of next month's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting provided new objective response rate (ORR) data for two mAbs targeting PD-L1: avelumab ( MSB0010718C) from Merck KGaA (Xetra:MRK) and partner Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE); and durvalumab ( MEDI4736) from AstraZeneca plc (NYSE:AZN; LSE:AZN).
In the ongoing pivotal Phase II JAVELIN Merkel 200 study in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) that has progressed following chemotherapy, avelumab monotherapy led to a confirmed ORR of 29.5% in 61 patients who had been followed for at least 24 weeks. Six patients had complete responses and 12 had partial responses. Median progression-free survival (PFS) in the study was 2.6 months, with a six-month PFS rate of 36%. ...