Gilead Sciences’ Trodelvy, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, has reduced the risk of aggressive breast cancer worsening by 35% in a large trial. The treatment lowered cancer progression by 11.2 months compared to 7.8 months for chemotherapy and Keytruda.
In the study, patients treated with Trodelvy and Keytruda went an average of 16.5 months without their cancer progressing, whereas those given chemotherapy and Keytruda had a median progress-free survival of just 9.2 months. The researchers are still following patients to determine if this combination extends overall survival.
The findings suggest that the Trodelvy/Keytruda regimen “will likely become a new front-line standard of care” in treating advanced triple-negative breast cancer, according to Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel, co-director of breast oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. This subtype of breast cancer is often more difficult to treat and has a higher recurrence rate due to the lack of common biomarkers.
The combination of Trodelvy and Keytruda targets PD-L1-positive tumors, which are 40% of triple-negative breast cancers. Antibody-drug conjugates like Trodelvy deliver anti-cancer drugs more precisely to malignant cells, causing less damage to healthy cells than chemotherapy.
While serious side effects were reported in some patients, including neutropenia and diarrhea, the findings mark an important step forward for treatment options for advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/gileads-trodelvy-with-keytruda-cuts-breast-cancer-risk-by-35-trial-2025-05-31