Pfizer reveals its PD-1 secret

In a week that saw Bristol Myers Squibb dismiss the threat of new PD-(L)1 inhibitors just as its own Opdivo franchise grew by an anaemic 2% in the fourth quarter, Pfizer for the first time talked up its own challenger, sasanlimab.

Sasanlimab’s unique selling point is that it is subcutaneously delivered, making it part of what executives on Tuesday called a “best-in-class platform”. Keytruda's 30% 2020 sales surge to $14.4bn makes the Merck & Co drug’s hold on this space look unshakeable, but some PD-(L)1 laggards might be looking anxiously in the rear-view mirror.