Eisai and Merck Announce European Commission Grants Marketing Authorization for LENVIMA (lenvatinib) as First-Line Treatment in Adults with Advanced or Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Eisai and Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted a marketing authorization for the oral receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor LENVIMA(lenvatinib), as a single agent for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have received no prior systemic therapy.

As quoted in the press release:

Treatment options for this type of liver cancer are limited, and the prognosis is poor. LENVIMA is the first new, first-line treatment for advanced or unresectable HCC in a decade to show an overall survival (OS) treatment effect by statistical confirmation of non-inferiority against standard of care.

Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is estimated to be responsible for nearly 750,000 deaths per year globally (69,000 per year in Europe), with over 780,000 cases newly diagnosed each year (71,000 per year in Europe). Hepatocellular carcinoma represents about 90 percent of primary liver cancer cases and due to the underlying nature of the disease, surgery is generally not an option.

“Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are faced with a cancer that is difficult to treat and has a particularly poor prognosis, with only one systemic first-line treatment option currently available,” said Gary Hendler, Chairman and CEO, Eisai EMEA. “LENVIMA is the first new treatment option to be made available in this first-line systemic treatment setting in over a decade and represents an important new therapeutic option for patients. Eisai and Merck are therefore committed to working together to ensure that patients have rapid access to LENVIMA across Europe.”

Click here to read the full press release.