#ESMO22: 'End of the beginning': As PD-(L)1s press on, how far can combo therapies take immuno-oncology?
PARIS — It’s no secret that anti-PD-(L)1 drugs have drastically changed immuno-oncology over the last decade or so. Merck’s market-leading Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo are highly effective across a wide range of cancers, helping millions of patients around the world and racking up billions in sales along the way.
But 2022 has proven relatively bumpy for the class, with more than a handful of trial failures as researchers try to move the drugs into more challenging tumor settings and earlier treatment lines. And a slate of mixed results at this year’s ESMO conference, combined with increased scrutiny in Washington over accelerated approvals and renewed debate over pricing, raise the question of whether anti-PD-(L)1s are approaching a ceiling.
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