The Phase 3 KEYNOTE-B96 study shows that adding Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to weekly paclitaxel, with or without bevacizumab, helps patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer live longer. This is the first immune checkpoint inhibitor regimen to significantly improve overall survival in this setting.
Patients who received the combination lived a median of 17.7 months compared with 14.0 months for chemotherapy alone. In tumors with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1, survival reached 18.2 months. The combination also delayed disease progression compared with chemotherapy alone.
Based on these results, the FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda Qlex) with paclitaxel, with or without bevacizumab, for adults whose tumors have PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1, establishing a new standard of care.