The year immuno-oncology could break into perioperative settings

The leading anti-PD-(L)1 drugs have yet to break meaningfully into adjuvant and neoadjuvant cancer treatment, but analysts increasingly say these uses could add billions of dollars to peak sales. And 2021 is the year in which a breakthrough could come at last.

On the regulatory front March will see the US FDA decide on the approvability of Merck & Co’s Keytruda in perioperative breast cancer. But the big 2021 showdown is between Merck and Roche, whose trial readouts could open up an even bigger potential market, namely adjuvant lung cancer.