Eisai and MSD to Present Latest Clinical Trial Results of Lenvima® (lenvatinib) Plus Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma at ASCO20

Eisaiwill beLenvima® (lenvatinib) presented at the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting andKeytruda® (Pembrolizumab) Clinical Trial Results in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

TOKYO and KENILWORTH, N.J., May 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Co., Ltd. (CEO: Haruo Naito) and Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that two studies evaluating LENVIMA®, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor originally developed by Eisai, in combination with KEYTRUDA®, an anti-PD-1 therapy, will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2020 Virtual Scientific Program, taking place from May 29 to 31, 2020. The presentations will include results from Study 116/KEYNOTE-524 and Study 111/KEYNOTE-146, which assessed patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had not previously received systemic therapy, and patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who had progressed following treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, respectively.

“In this study, the tumor response rate of Keytruda in combination with Lenvima highlights the potential of this combination therapy in certain types of hepatocellular and renal cell carcinoma,” said Dr. Jonathan Cheng, Vice President of Oncology Clinical Research at MSD.，“Keytruda + Lenvima are important projects in our extensive oncology research program, and we will continue to advance combination studies across multiple cancers and disease stages.”

“With the release of combined clinical trial data, our enthusiasm and conviction continue to grow as evidence of the potential of Lenvima + Keytruda in various advanced cancers accumulates,” said Dr. Takashi Owa, Chief Discovery Officer and Chief Drug Creation Officer of Eisai’s Oncology Business Unit.，“"Our ongoing clinical research efforts on this combination reflect our commitment to scientific advancement and to exploring potential solutions for patients with refractory cancer."

The results of Study 116/KEYNOTE-524 (Abstract #4519) will be presented in the Poster Discussion Session, and the results of Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 (Abstract #5008) will be presented in the Oral Abstract Session of the Virtual Scientific Program of the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting.