Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, “Eisai”) announced today that a series of abstracts will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020 from September 19 to 21, 2020. The abstracts highlight updates regarding Eisai¡¯s in-house discovered LENVIMA^??(lenvatinib mesylate, the orally available kinase inhibitor, “lenvatinib”), Halaven^??(eribulin mesylate, halichondrin class microtubule dynamics inhibitor, “eribulin”) and its liposomal formulation.

There will be two oral presentations regarding the combination therapy of lenvatinib and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada)¡¯s anti-PD-1 antibody, KEYTRUDA^??(pembrolizumab). Both of these presentations have been selected as Late-Breaking Abstracts. The interim results of the phase 2 study (LEAP-004) in advanced melanoma which had been treated with an anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody (Abstract No: LBA44), as well as the interim results of the basket-type phase 2 study (LEAP-005) for 6 types (triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, and biliary tract cancer) of previously treated, advanced solid tumors (Abstract No: LBA41) will be presented.

There will also be an e-poster presentation (Abstract No: 346P) on the expansion cohort of HER2-negative breast cancer in a phase 1 study evaluating the eribulin liposomal formulation (E7389-LF) which aims to realize the efficient delivery to tumors.

In March 2018, Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A., through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of lenvatinib.

Eisai positions oncology as a key therapeutic area, and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer. Eisai will continue to create innovation in the development of new drugs based on cutting-edge cancer research, as it seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.

This release discusses investigational compounds and investigational uses for FDA-approved products. It is not intended to convey conclusions about efficacy and safety. There is no guarantee that any investigational compounds or investigational uses of FDA-approved products will successfully complete clinical development or gain FDA approval.

 

Oral Presentations*:

*Late Breaking Abstracts will be available on demand via ESMO¡¯s website on September 19.

 

E-poster Presentations**:

**Abstracts and e-posters will be available on demand via ESMO¡¯s website on September 14 and 17 respectively.

 

Media Inquiries:
Public Relations Department,
Eisai Co., Ltd.
+81-(0)3-3817-5120

 

[Notes to editors]

1. About the Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. Strategic Collaboration
In March 2018, Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize LENVIMA, both as monotherapy and in combination with Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.¡¯s anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA.

In addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA combination across several different tumor types, the companies have jointly initiated new clinical studies through the LEAP (Lenvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program and are evaluating the combination in 13 different tumor types (endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial cancer, biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma, ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer) across 19 clinical trials.

 

2. Eisai¡¯s Focus on Cancer
Eisai focuses on the development of anticancer drugs, targeting the tumor microenvironment with experience and knowledge from Halaven and Lenvima and the driver gene mutation and aberrant splicing leveraging RNA Splicing Platform as areas (Ricchi) where real patient needs are still unmet, and where Eisai can become a frontrunner in oncology area. Eisai will discover innovative new drugs with new targets and mechanisms of action from these Ricchi, and aims to contribute to curing cancers.

KEYTRUDA^??is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA.