news – page 9 – eisai china lnc.-pg电子app

news – page 9 – eisai china lnc.-pg电子app

eisai’s anti-microtubule binding region (mtbr) tau antibody e2814 previously selected as the first investigational therapy among anti-tau drugs for the dian-tu tau next generation trial

 

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) announced today that the dominantly inherited alzheimer network trials unit (dian-tu), led by washington university school of medicine in st. louis, has an agreement with the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) and the european medicines agency (ema) to amend the clinical study (tau nexgen) design to include a background anti-amyloid agent. the tau nexgen clinical study was originally designed to focus on therapies that target tau. with increasing evidence from clinical studies showing that targeting amyloid can reduce biomarkers of alzheimer’s disease (ad), the tau nexgen clinical trial leaders selected eisai’s investigational anti-amyloid beta (aβ) protofibril antibody lecanemab as the background anti-amyloid agent.

the purpose of the tau nexgen study is to assess the safety, tolerability, biomarker and cognitive efficacy of investigational therapies in people who have an alzheimer’s disease-causing gene mutation. the study will evaluate if treatment with study drug slows the rate of progression of cognitive impairment and improves disease-related biomarkers.

people who have this genetic mutation of dominantly inherited alzheimer’s disease (diad) are known to develop ad and will likely develop symptoms at around the same age their affected parents did, often in their 50s, 40s or even 30s. in march 2021, the dian-tu selected anti-microtubule binding region (mtbr) tau antibody e2814, which was created from collaboration research between eisai and university college london, as the first investigational medicine among anti-tau drugs for the dian-tu tau study.

in the amended tau nexgen study, symptomatic participants will be administered lecanemab for six months before being randomly assigned to also receive the anti-tau drug or a placebo. since amyloid plaques accumulate before tau tangles in ad, this study design allows the researchers to assess whether amyloid removal clears the way for the anti-tau drug to function most effectively. pre-symptomatic participants will be randomly assigned to receive the anti-tau drug or a placebo for a year before beginning lecanemab administration. by staggering the drugs in this way, the researchers will be able to evaluate the effects of the anti-tau drug alone before assessing the effects of the two drugs together. the primary endpoint is a slowing of tau accumulation in the brain in symptomatic participants, as seen on pet brain scans. as a secondary endpoint, the researchers will evaluate whether the investigational therapies affect levels of a specific kind of tau — phosphorylated tau 217 — in the cerebrospinal fluid of pre-symptomatic participants. if these primary and secondary endpoints are positive in the analysis two years after the start of study, the study will be extended for another two years to assess whether the drug slows cognitive decline and has further effects on tau pathology.

“with growing evidence that removing amyloid plaques has biologically beneficial effects on amyloid and tau, we believe that targeting both alzheimer’s disease pathologies — amyloid plaques and tau tangles — at the same time can provide the highest chance of success,” said principal investigator randall j. bateman, m.d., director of dian-tu and the charles f. and joanne knight distinguished professor of neurology at washington university.

“eisai’s anti-mtbr tau antibody e2814 was chosen as the first investigational therapy among anti-tau drugs for the groundbreaking dominantly inherited alzheimer network trials unit tau nexgen, which was originally designed to target tau proteins. the growing body of evidence suggesting the removal of amyloid plaque slows cognitive decline is creating new possibilities to potentially fight this devastating disease. eisai is proud that our investigational anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody lecanemab has been selected as the background anti-amyloid agent in this arm of the study,” said lynn kramer, m.d., faan, chief clinical officer, neurology business group, eisai co., ltd. “in our , lecanemab 10 mg/kg biweekly dosing without titration, demonstrated robust clearance of the brain amyloid plaques from early stage of administration and slowed cognitive decline in people living with early ad. encouragingly, the rate of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities-edema/effusion for this same dosing was 9.9% with less than 2% being symptomatic.”

eisai positions neurology as a key therapeutic area, and it will continue to create innovation in the development of novel medicines based on cutting-edge neurology research as it seeks to contribute further to improving the benefits of affected individuals and their families in diseases with high unmet needs, such as dementia including ad. our vision is clear: a world free of neurodegeneration.

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) announced today the presentation of data from the company’s extensive alzheimer’s disease (ad) pipeline, including six oral presentations that will provide deeper insights into lecanemab’s potential as a treatment for early ad. eisai initiated a rolling submission of a biologics license application (bla) for lecanemab, an investigational anti-amyloid beta (aβ) protofibril antibody, for the treatment of early ad, to the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) under the accelerated approval pathway in september 2021. the lecanemab data and additional research findings from eisai’s robust ad pipeline will be featured in 10 presentations, including five late breaker oral presentations, at the 14th clinical trials on alzheimer’s disease (ctad) conference, november 9-12, 2021, in boston, massachusetts and virtually.

“the findings eisai will present at ctad provide scientific insights into the potential role of lecanemab in the treatment of early alzheimer’s disease as well as the relationship between clearance of amyloid-beta plaque from the brain, changes in blood-based biomarkers and clinical outcomes,” said michael irizarry, m.d., vice president, deputy chief clinical officer, neurology business group, eisai inc. “we are working to advance lecanemab and our other targeted investigational compounds as quickly as possible in our commitment to bringing solutions to patients and their families.”

the focus on ad has historically been on alleviating cognitive, functional, and behavioral symptoms, but there has been significant progress in understanding the biological mechanisms of the disease and eisai’s investigational pipeline aims to treat the range of underlying pathophysiology, including amyloid, tau and neurodegeneration.

“with lecanemab’s rolling bla submission to the fda under the accelerated approval pathway, completion of enrollment of 1,795 patients in the confirmatory phase 3 clarity ad clinical trial, initiation of a lecanemab subcutaneous dosing phase 1 study and the ongoing phase 3 ahead 3-45 study in people with pre-clinical alzheimer’s disease, it is an exciting time for lecanemab and eisai’s ad franchise,” said ivan cheung, chairman, eisai inc., senior vice president, president neurology business group and global alzheimer’s disease officer, eisai co., ltd. “we are optimistic about the promise lecanemab and other investigational compounds in our robust pipeline may have for people living with alzheimer’s disease.”

major presentations provide deeper scientific insights into lecanemab’s potential as a treatment for early ad

· roundtable: presentation of the latest lecanemab data, followed by esteemed faculty, drs. jeffrey cummings, randall bateman and christopher van dyck, facilitating a conversation about the results and insights useful to the broader ad community (oral roundtable 5)

· oral presentation about consistency of efficacy assessments across various statistical methods from the lecanemab phase ii proof-of-concept study () in people living with early ad (lb9)

· oral presentation regarding the introduction of plasma biomarker screening for phase 3 ahead 3-45 study for preclinical ad (lb4)

· oral presentation outlining the baseline characteristics for the phase 3 clarity ad clinical trial for people living with early ad (roc22)

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) and prism biolab co., ltd. (headquarters: kanagawa, president and ceo: dai takehara, “prism”) announced today that the  creb-binding protein (cbp) / β-catenin inhibitor e7386, a medium-molecular weight compound created through collaboration research between eisai and prism, has achieved the clinical poc (proof of concept).

eisai is conducting a phase i clinical study of e7386 monotherapy for solid tumors, and a phase ib clinical trial of e7386 plus lenvatinib mesylate (product name: lenvima®, “lenvatinib”), the orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor discovered by eisai, for solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma. the achievement of the poc, which is defined in a collaborative research agreement between eisai and prism, was confirmed based on data such as antitumor activity and changes of biomarkers in these clinical trials.

the e7386 targets, β-catenin, is considered to be one of the undruggable targets that are particularly difficult to develop into drug discovery. β-catenin, along with cbp, which is also the target of e7386, is located at the downstream of the wnt signaling and regulates the wnt signaling-dependent transcription activity. e7386 is a cbp / β-catenin inhibitor that inhibits cbp and β-catenin protein-protein interactions and regulates the wnt signal-dependent gene expression. it is expected to suppress tumor growth dependent on the wnt signaling. 1 e7386 is also expected to release the suppression of tumor-infiltrating t cells by the wnt signaling activation, and to enhance the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors1. the antitumor effect of e7386 alone and the combination of e7386 and anti-pd-1 antibody has been confirmed in a cancer-bearing mouse model.

based on the poc achievement, eisai has initiated a phase ib/ii clinical trial (study 201) of e7386 in combination with anti-pd-1 therapy pembrolizumab for solid tumors in japan.*

dr. takashi owa, senior vice president, president of oncology business group, at eisai said, “with achieving the poc, we are confident with the prospect of offering e7386 to patients as a cancer treatment. e7386 may overcome lenvatinib and pembrolizumab treatment resistances through its combination therapy with lenvatinib or pembrolizumab. eisai will accelerate clinical trials of e7386 in combination with lenvatinib or pembrolizumab, and do its utmost aiming to create new treatments for cancers with high unmet medical needs.”

dai takehara, president and ceo of prism commented, “the approval of the clinical poc for the e7386 demonstrates that prism’s drug discovery platform is an effective option for novel drug targets which have been considered difficult. we are grateful to eisai for advancing this development. we will continue to take on the challenge of targeting more novel targets, with the aim of providing new treatment to as many patients as possible.”

* study 201 is being conducted under a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement between eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.

positive opinion granted for advanced renal cell carcinoma based on significant progression-free survival (pfs), overall survival (os) and objective response rate (orr) benefit compared to sunitinib in clear/keynote-581 trial

positive opinion granted for advanced endometrial carcinoma based on significant os and pfs benefit compared to chemotherapy in study 309/keynote-775 trial

 

tokyo and kenilworth, n.j., oct. 18, 2021 – eisai (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito) and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. (known as msd outside the united states and canada) today announced that the committee for medicinal products for human use (chmp) of the european medicines agency has adopted positive opinions recommending approval of the combination of lenvima® (marketed as kisplyx® in the european union [eu]  for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma [rcc]), the orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor discovered by eisai, plus keytruda®, the anti-pd-1 therapy from merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., for two different indications. one positive opinion is for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced rcc, and the other is for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma (ec) who have disease progression on or following prior treatment with a platinum-containing therapy in any setting and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation. decisions on the chmp’s recommendations will be given by the european commission for marketing authorization in the eu, and are expected in the fourth quarter of 2021. if approved, this would be the first combination of an anti-pd-1 therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of two different types of cancer in the eu.

the positive chmp opinions are based on data from two pivotal phase 3 trials: clear (study 307)/keynote-581 evaluating the combination in adult patients with advanced rcc and study 309/keynote-775 evaluating the combination in certain patients with advanced ec.

in clear/keynote-581, lenvima plus keytruda demonstrated statistically significant improvements versus sunitinib in the efficacy outcome measures of overall survival (os), reducing the risk of death by 34% (hr=0.66 [95% ci, 0.49-0.88]; p=0.0049) versus sunitinib, and progression-free survival (pfs), reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 61% (hr=0.39 [95% ci, 0.32-0.49]; p<0.0001) with a median pfs of 23.9 months versus 9.2 months for sunitinib. additionally, the confirmed objective response rate was 71% (95% ci: 66-76) (n=252) for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda versus 36% with sunitinib (95% ci: 31-41) (n=129).

in study 309/keynote-775, lenvima plus keytruda demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the study’s dual efficacy outcome measures of os, reducing the risk of death by 38% (hr=0.62 [95% ci, 0.51-0.75]; p<0.0001) with a median os of 18.3 months versus 11.4 months for chemotherapy (investigator’s choice of doxorubicin or paclitaxel), and pfs, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 44% (hr=0.56 [95% ci, 0.47-0.66]; p<0.0001), with a median pfs of 7.2 months versus 3.8 months for chemotherapy (investigator’s choice of doxorubicin or paclitaxel).

“keytruda plus lenvima demonstrated a survival benefit for advanced renal cell carcinoma in the first-line setting and represents an important potential new treatment option for these patients. additionally, keytruda plus lenvima is the first anti-pd-1 and tyrosine kinase inhibitor combination to demonstrate a survival benefit in advanced endometrial carcinoma patients, and the benefit was shown regardless of mismatch repair status,” said dr. gregory lubiniecki, vice president, clinical research, merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. research laboratories. “we are pleased that the chmp has recognized the important role of the combination therapy in these difficult-to-treat cancers.”

“we appreciate the positive opinions rendered by the eu chmp recommending approval of lenvima plus keytruda in advanced renal cell carcinoma and advanced endometrial carcinoma, underscoring the potential significance of the outcomes observed in the clear/keynote-581 and study 309/keynote-775 trials” said dr. takashi owa, president, oncology business group at eisai. “we are grateful to the patients who participated in these studies, their families and clinicians. their commitment made these meaningful milestones possible.”

in clear/keynote-581, the most common adverse reactions (≥30%) for lenvima plus keytruda* were diarrhoea (61.8%), hypertension (51.5%) fatigue (47.1%), hypothyroidism (45.1%), decreased appetite (42.1%), nausea (39.6%), stomatitis (36.6%), proteinuria (33.0%), dysphonia (32.8%), and arthralgia (32.4%).

in study 309/keynote-775, the most common adverse reactions of these patients (≥20%) for lenvima plus keytruda* were hypertension (63%), diarrhoea (57%), hypothyroidism (56%), nausea (51%), decreased appetite (47%), vomiting (39%), fatigue (38%), decreased weight (35%), arthralgia (33%), proteinuria (29%), constipation (27%), headache (27%), urinary tract infection (27%), dysphonia (25%), abdominal pain (23%), asthenia (23%), palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (23%), stomatitis (23%), anaemia (22%), and hypomagnesaemia (20%).

*according to the information listed in the smpc (summaries of product characteristics)

 

 

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) announced today that presentations on a series of abstracts highlighting updates on its oncology products and pipeline will be given at the european society for medical oncology (esmo) virtual congress 2021, from september 16 to 21, 2021, including its in-house discovered lenvatinib mesylate (product name: lenvima®, an orally available multi-kinase inhibitor, “lenvatinib”) and eribulin mesylate (product name: halaven®, a halichondrin class microtubule dynamics inhibitor, “eribulin”).

at this congress, differences in outcomes by histology and prior therapy in the pivotal phase 3 study 309/keynote-775 trial, which compared the combination therapy of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (product name: keytruda®), the anti-pd-1 therapy from merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. (known as msd outside the united states and canada), with tpc (treatment of physician’s choice) in patients with advanced endometrial cancer, following at least one prior platinum-based regimen, will be presented as an oral presentation (abstract no: 726mo). in addition, a subgroup analysis and safety update from the pivotal phase 3 clear study (study 307/keynote-581), which compared the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab versus sunitinib for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (rcc) will be presented as an e-poster presentation (abstract no: 660p). additionally, e-poster presentations will be given on the outcomes of early clinical studies on a liposomal formulation of eribulin plus nivolumab (abstract no: 980p), a creb-binding protein (cbp)/β-catenin interaction inhibitor e7386 (abstract no: 473p) and a compound derived from total synthesis of halichondrin, e7130 (abstract no: 545p).

in march 2018, eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of lenvatinib.

eisai positions oncology as a key therapeutic area and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer. eisai will continue to create innovation in the development of new drugs based on cutting-edge cancer research, as it seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.

this release discusses investigational compounds and investigational uses for fda-approved products. it is not intended to convey conclusions about efficacy and safety. there is no guarantee that any investigational compounds or investigational uses of fda-approved products will successfully complete clinical development or gain fda approval.

 

 

[notes to editors]

1. about the eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. strategic collaboration

in march 2018, eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., known as msd outside the united states and canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of lenvima® (lenvatinib). under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize lenvima, both as monotherapy and in combination with keytruda® (pembrolizumab), the anti-pd-1 therapy from merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.

in addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the keytruda plus lenvima combination across several different tumor types, the companies have jointly initiated new clinical studies through the leap (lenvatinib and pembrolizumab) clinical program and are evaluating the combination in 13 different tumor types across more than 20 clinical trials.

2. eisai’s focus on cancer

eisai focuses on the development of anticancer drugs, targeting the tumor microenvironment (with experience and knowledge from existing in-house discovered compounds) and the driver gene mutation and aberrant splicing (leveraging rna splicing platform) as areas (ricchi) where real patient needs are still unmet, and where eisai can aim to become a frontrunner in oncology. eisai aspires to discover innovative new drugs with new targets and mechanisms of action from these ricchi, with the aim of contributing to the cure of cancers.

keytruda® is a registered trademark of merck sharp & dohme corp., a subsidiary of merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) announced today that it has received the award for excellence in corporate communications at the 37th annual corporate communications awards, hosted by the japan institute for social and economic affairs (tokyo, chairman: masakazu tokura), an affiliate of the japanese business federation (tokyo).

the corporate communications awards were established in 1984 with the aim of advancing the field by recognizing companies and individuals that practice excellent corporate communications. there are three awards: the award for excellence in corporate communications, outstanding leadership awards in corporate communications, and the outstanding merit awards.

the award for excellence in corporate communications received by eisai is given to the company that contribute to society by identifying what is expected and required of them by society, reflecting this in their management, and disseminating and communicating accurate information about their corporate activities to their stakeholders through public relations initiatives.

the award was presented to eisai in recognition of its efforts to promote understanding of dementia, which has become a social issue, by providing not only information on the status of new drug development, but also on the latest findings on the pathological condition of the disease and the social burden of nursing care, as well as efforts to promote understanding among stakeholders through study sessions for scientific and medical journalists and providing easy-to-understand explanations of difficult science, thereby making a significant contribution to increase the benefits of patients and their families in line with its corporate philosophy of human health care (hhc).

eisai’s corporate philosophy is to give first thought to patients and their families, and increase the benefits that health care provides, and eisai calls this philosophy the “human health care (hhc)” philosophy, in one word. in the new medium-term business plan “eway future & beyond” started in fy2021, based on the hhc philosophy, eisai aims to remove the anxiety of “the people”, including not only patients but also society at large, by delivering not only pharmaceutical products but also solutions to the people. in order to realize the hhc philosophy, we will make further contributions to increase the benefits to “the people” by enhancing corporate value through public relations activities.

eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) announced today that the company will conduct a total of 11 presentations, including the latest data of the investigational anti-amyloid beta (aβ) protofibril antibody lecanemab (development code: ban2401) for which the u.s. food and drug administration has granted breakthrough therapy designation, at the alzheimer’s association international conference (aaic) to be held in denver, colorado and virtually from july 26 to 30, 2021.

major presentations regarding lecanemab include oral presentations about the preliminary assessment of the clinical effect of lecanemab following 18 months of treatment in the open-label extension of the phase 2b proof of concept study (201 study) in subjects with early alzheimer’s disease (ad) and preliminary screening and baseline characteristics of the phase 3 clinical study, ahead 3-45, for preclinical ad will be given. in addition, an oral presentation regarding the design of the clinical study for the investigational mtbr targeted anti-tau antibody e2814, which has been selected by the dominantly inherited alzheimer network trials unit “dian-tu” as the first investigational medicine among anti-tau drugs for the dian-tu tau study, will be given. a poster presentation will also be given on the results of an in vivo study of e2511, eisai’s in-house discovered and developed investigational novel oral synapse regenerant. a phase 1 study for e2511 is underway.

additionally, eisai and biogen inc. (nasdaq: biib, corporate headquarters: cambridge, massachusetts, “biogen”) will hold a virtual symposium, “defining the next-generation clinical care pathway for alzheimer’s disease: biological, technological, and healthcare perspectives,” focusing on the ad treatment landscape. as the possibilities for treatment development increase, it is critical to transform the ad patient journey from a symptoms-based approach to a clinical care pathway that is guided by next-generation biomarkers and enabled with technology. rhoda au, ph.d, mba; jeffrey cummings, m.d, d.sc; soeren mattke, m.d, d.sc; and wiesje van der flier, ph.d; four esteemed ad researchers, will review the latest advances and challenges in the integration of biomarkers and emerging digital tools into the larger healthcare ecosystem for ad.

eisai serves as the lead in the co-development of lecanemab, an anti-aβ protofibril antibody, which is being jointly developed by eisai and biogen.

eisai aims to realize the prevention and cure of dementia through a multi-dimensional and holistic approach with a foundation of over 35 years of experience of drug discovery activities in the area of ad and dementia. eisai strives to create innovative medicines as soon as possible to further contribute to addressing the unmet medical needs of, as well as increasing the benefits provided to, those living with the disease and their families.

cambridge, mass. and tokyo, july 8,2021(globe newswire) – biogen (nasdaq: biib) and eisai co., ltd. (tokyo, japan) today announced the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) has approved an updated label for aduhelm™ (aducanumab-avwa) injection 100 mg/ml solution.

the update includes an addition to the indications and usage section of the label (section 1) to emphasize the disease stages studied in the clinical trials, as seen below (italics to note updated language).

aduhelm is indicated for the treatment of alzheimer’s disease. treatment with aduhelm should be initiated in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease, the population in which treatment was initiated in clinical trials.there are no safety or effectiveness data on initiating treatment at earlier or later stages of the disease than were studied. this indication is approved under accelerated approval based on reduction in amyloid beta plaques observed in patients treated with aduhelm. continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).

alfred sandrock, jr., m.d., ph.d., head of research and development at biogen, said, “based on our ongoing conversations with prescribing physicians, fda and patient advocates, we submitted this label update with the goal to further clarify the patient population that was studied across the three aduhelm clinical trials that supported approval. we are committed to continue to listen to the community’s needs as clinical practice adapts to this important, first-in-class treatment option.”

the update clarifies the indication by emphasizing information about the disease stages studied in the aduhelm clinical trials. information about the population studied has been previously communicated by biogen and eisai, including in the companies’statement of june 23, 2021.

shanghai tenry pharmaceutical company limited (hereinafter referred to as “shanghai tenry”) and eisai china inc. signed a marketing service agreement. shanghai tengry is responsible for the market promotion of glufast® (mitiglinide calcium tablets), a diabetes treatment drug, in china, and the two parties will work hand in hand to serve the vast population of diabetic patients in china.

glufast® (mitiglinide calcium tablets)-faster and stronger, safer and more effective for lowering blood sugar

glufast®, as a new generation of fast-acting physiological model insulin secretagogue, is suitable for improving postprandial hyperglycemia in t2dm. it has the three characteristics of “fast”, “stable” and “strong”, which can be “faster”, “stronger” and “more effective” for lowering blood sugar. it is an ideal choice for improving insulin secretion defects in diabetic patients. in 2017, it was successfully listed in the national medical insurance catalogue and became a resistance as one of the powerful options for “diabetes”.

according to the latest estimates of the international diabetes federation, china has the largest population of diabetic patients in the world. it is currently estimated that there are more than 114 million diabetic patients, and this number is still rising. among all diabetes patients in china, more than 90% are type ii diabetes patients, and the prevalence of type ii diabetes in china is still increasing significantly.

shanghai tengry and eisai china inc. work together to help more diabetic patients

ms. yanhui feng, senior vice president of eisai global and president of eisai china, said: “i am very happy to have reached a cooperation with shanghai tengry this time and we will help more and more many patients with diabetes in china.”

mr. tao ye, chairman and ceo of shanghai tengry, said: “eisai is a world-renowned pharmaceutical company. we are much honored to be able to cooperate with eisai china inc., and hope that, through shanghai tengry’s channel resources and professional promotion, we can help glufast® play greater value, provide patients with ideal treatment plans, and serve more doctors and patients in need.”

at present, the policy environment promotes comprehensive and profound changes in the pharmaceutical industry, and win-win cooperation between pharmaceutical companies has become the mainstream. in the future, through core resource sharing and complementary advantages and capabilities, eisai china inc. will work with more pharmaceutical companies to provide professional and high-quality products and services for chinese patients.

applications based on progression-free survival, overall survival, and objective response rate data from respective pivotal phase 3 trials

 

tokyo and kenilworth, n.j., may 6, 2021 – eisai co., ltd. (headquarters: tokyo, ceo: haruo naito, “eisai”) and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. (known as msd outside the united states and canada) today announced that the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) has accepted and granted priority review for applications seeking two new approvals for the combination of lenvima, the orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor discovered by eisai, plus keytruda, the anti-pd-1 therapy from merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. the first set of applications (a supplemental new drug application [snda] for lenvima and a supplemental biologics license application [sbla] for keytruda) are for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (rcc), based on progression-free survival (pfs), overall survival (os) and objective response rate (orr) data from the pivotal phase 3 clear study (study 307/keynote-581). the second set of applications are for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy in any setting and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation, based on pfs, os, and orr data from the pivotal phase 3 study 309/keynote-775 trial. these are the first applications to be submitted in the u.s. for this combination therapy based on phase 3 clinical data. the fda has set prescription drug user fee act (pdufa) dates, or target action dates, of august 25 and 26, 2021, for the advanced rcc snda and sbla applications, respectively, and september 3, 2021, for the advanced endometrial carcinoma applications.

“advanced renal cell carcinoma and advanced endometrial carcinoma are aggressive cancers, and patients urgently need new treatment options that may help improve outcomes,” said dr. gregory lubiniecki, vice president, oncology clinical research, merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. research laboratories. “we appreciate that the fda has recognized this significant unmet need and the potential for the combination of keytruda plus lenvima in these patients by granting priority review for these applications.”

“we are pleased that the fda has granted priority review for lenvima plus keytruda—both in advanced renal cell carcinoma and advanced endometrial carcinoma— underscoring the potential significance of the outcomes observed in the clear study (study 307/keynote-581) and study 309/keynote-775 trials,” said dr. takashi owa, chief medicine creation officer and chief discovery officer, oncology business group at eisai. “many patients are still in need of new and effective therapies, which fuels our commitment to advancing the development of this combination even more. these milestones reinforce our unwavering dedication to helping the patients we aim to serve.”

the applications in advanced rcc are based on results from the clear study (study 307/keynote-581), in which lenvima plus keytruda demonstrated statistically significant improvements in pfs, os and orr versus sunitinib. these data were presented in february at the virtual 2021 genitourinary cancers symposium (asco gu) and simultaneously published in the new england journal of medicine. 1

the applications in advanced endometrial carcinoma are based on results from study 309/keynote-775, in which lenvima plus keytruda demonstrated statistically significant improvements in pfs, os and orr versus chemotherapy (investigator’s choice of doxorubicin or paclitaxel), regardless of mismatch repair (mmr) status. these data were presented in march at the virtual society of gynecologic oncology (sgo) 2021 annual meeting on women’s cancer. study 309/keynote-775 is the confirmatory trial for study 111/keynote-146, which supported the 2019 accelerated approval of the combination for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not microsatellite instability-high (msi-h) or mismatch repair deficient (dmmr), who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation. this indication was an accelerated approval based on tumor response and durability of response and reviewed under the fda’s real-time oncology review pilot program and the fda’s project orbis. continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trial.

eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. are studying the lenvima plus keytruda combination through the leap (lenvatinib and pembrolizumab) clinical program in 14 different tumor types (endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial cancer, biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer) across more than 20 clinical trials.

 

about lenvima® (lenvatinib) capsules

lenvima, discovered and developed by eisai, is an orally available kinase inhibitor that inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) receptors vegfr1 (flt1), vegfr2 (kdr), and vegfr3 (flt4). lenvima inhibits other kinases that have been implicated in pathogenic angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer progression in addition to their normal cellular functions, including fibroblast growth factor (fgf) receptors fgfr1-4, the platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (pdgfrα), kit, and ret. in syngeneic mouse tumor models, lenvima decreased tumor-associated macrophages, increased activated cytotoxic t cells, and demonstrated greater antitumor activity in combination with an anti-pd-1 monoclonal antibody compared to either treatment alone.

currently, lenvima has been approved for monotherapy as a treatment for thyroid cancer in over 70 countries including japan, in europe, china and in asia, and in the united states for radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. in addition, lenvima has been approved for monotherapy as a treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in over 70 countries including japan, the united states, in europe, china and in asia. it is also approved in combination with everolimus as a treatment for renal cell carcinoma following prior antiangiogenic therapy in over 60 countries, including the united states, in europe and asia. in europe, the agent was launched under the brand name kisplyx® for renal cell carcinoma. in addition, it is approved in combination with keytruda (generic name: pembrolizumab) as a treatment for advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not microsatellite instability-high (msi-h) or mismatch repair deficient (dmmr) who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation in over 10 countries including the united states, canada and australia. continued approval for this indication is contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. lenvima has also been approved for monotherapy as a treatment for unresectable thymic carcinoma in japan.

 

about keytruda® (pembrolizumab) injection, 100mg

keytruda is an anti-pd-1 therapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells. keytruda is a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction between pd-1 and its ligands, pd-l1 and pd-l2, thereby activating t lymphocytes which may affect both tumor cells and healthy cells.

merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. has the industry’s largest immuno-oncology clinical research program. there are currently more than 1,400 trials studying keytruda across a wide variety of cancers and treatment settings. the keytruda clinical program seeks to understand the role of keytruda across cancers and the factors that may predict a patient’s likelihood of benefitting from treatment with keytruda, including exploring several different biomarkers.

 

about clear study (study 307/keynote-581)

the clear study (study 307/keynote-581) is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial (clinicaltrials.gov, ) evaluating lenvima in combination with keytruda or in combination with everolimus versus sunitinib for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced rcc. the primary endpoint is pfs, as assessed by independent review per response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (recist) v1.1. key secondary endpoints include os, orr and safety. a total of 1,069 patients were randomized (1:1:1) to receive lenvima (20 mg orally once daily) in combination with keytruda (200 mg intravenously [iv] every three weeks for up to 24 months); or lenvima (18 mg orally once daily) in combination with everolimus (5 mg orally once daily); or sunitinib (50 mg orally once daily for four weeks on treatment, followed by two weeks off treatment).

in the trial’s primary endpoint of pfs, as assessed by independent review per recist v1.1, lenvima plus keytruda reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 61% (hr=0.39 [95% ci: 0.32-0.49]; p<0.001), with a median pfs of 23.9 months (95% ci: 20.8-27.7) versus 9.2 months (95% ci: 6.0-11.0) for patients who received sunitinib. in the trial’s key secondary endpoints, lenvima plus keytruda reduced the risk of death by 34% (hr=0.66 [95% ci: 0.49-0.88]; p=0.005) versus patients who received sunitinib. median os was not reached in either treatment arm after a median follow-up of 27 months. treatment with lenvima plus keytruda resulted in an orr of 71.0% (95% ci: 66.3-75.7), with a complete response (cr) rate of 16.1% and a partial response (pr) rate of 54.9%, versus an orr of 36.1% (95% ci: 31.2-41.1), with a cr rate of 4.2% and a pr rate of 31.9%, for patients who received sunitinib (relative risk=1.97 [95% ci: 1.69-2.29]). median duration of response (dor) for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda was 25.8 months (95% ci: 22.1-27.9) versus 14.6 months (95% ci: 9.4-16.7) for patients who received sunitinib.

in the lenvima plus keytruda arm, treatment-related adverse events (traes) led to discontinuation of lenvima in 18.5% of patients, of keytruda in 25.0% of patients, and of both in 9.7% of patients. in the sunitinib arm, traes led to discontinuation of sunitinib in 10.0% of patients. grade 5 traes occurred in 1.1% of patients in the lenvima plus keytruda arm versus 0.3% of patients in the sunitinib arm. grade ≥3 traes occurred in 71.6% of patients in the lenvima plus keytruda arm versus 58.8% of patients in the sunitinib arm. the most common traes of any grade occurring in at least 20% of patients in the lenvima plus keytruda arm were diarrhea (54.5%), hypertension (52.3%), hypothyroidism (42.6%), decreased appetite (34.9%), fatigue (32.1%) and stomatitis (32.1%). in the sunitinib arm, the most common traes of any grade occurring in at least 20% of patients were diarrhea (44.4%), hypertension (39.1%), stomatitis (37.4%), hand-foot syndrome (35.9%), fatigue (32.1%) and nausea (27.6%).

 

about study 309/keynote-775

study 309/keynote-775 is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial (clinicaltrials.gov, ) evaluating lenvima in combination with keytruda in patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma who had been previously treated with at least one prior platinum-based chemotherapy regimen in any setting, including in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. the dual primary endpoints are pfs, as assessed by blinded independent central review (bicr) per recist v1.1, and os. select secondary endpoints include orr and duration of response (dor), as assessed by bicr. a total of 827 patients were randomized (1:1) to receive lenvima (20 mg orally once daily) in combination with keytruda (200 mg iv every three weeks); or investigator’s choice of either doxorubicin (60 mg/m2 iv every three weeks) or paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 iv on a 28-day cycle, three weeks of receiving weekly paclitaxel and one week of not receiving paclitaxel).

the study met the dual primary endpoints of pfs, as assessed by bicr per recist v1.1, os, as well as the secondary efficacy endpoint of orr, as assessed by bicr per recist v1.1, in the all-comer population (pmmr and dmmr) and in the pmmr subgroup. median follow-up was 11.4 months for both the all-comer population and pmmr subgroup. a statistically significant improvement in pfs was seen in the all-comer population, in which lenvima plus keytruda (n=411) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44% (hr=0.56 [95% ci: 0.47-0.66]; p<0.0001), with a median pfs of 7.2 months (95% ci: 5.7-7.6; number of events=281) versus 3.8 months (95% ci: 3.6-4.2; number of events=286) for patients who received tpc (n=416). additionally, a statistically significant improvement in os was seen in the all-comer population, in which lenvima plus keytruda reduced the risk of death by 38% (hr=0.62 [95% ci: 0.51-0.75]; p<0.0001), with a median os of 18.3 months (95% ci: 15.2-20.5; number of events=188) versus 11.4 months (95% ci: 10.5-12.9; number of events=245) for patients who received tpc. the safety profile of lenvima plus keytruda was generally consistent with the established safety profiles of the individual monotherapies.

in the all-comer population, the secondary efficacy endpoint of orr was 31.9% (95% ci: 27.4-36.6), with a cr rate of 6.6% and a pr rate of 25.3%, for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda versus 14.7% (95% ci: 11.4-18.4), with a cr rate of 2.6% and a pr rate of 12.0% for patients who received tpc (orr difference versus tpc: 17.2 percentage points; p<0.0001). for patients who responded, the median duration of response (dor) was 14.4 months (range: 1.6-23.7) for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda versus 5.7 months (range: 0.0-24.2) for patients who received tpc.

results were similar across the all-comer population and the pmmr subgroup. in the pmmr subgroup, lenvima plus keytruda reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 40% (hr=0.60 [95% ci: 0.50-0.72]; p<0.0001), with a median pfs of 6.6 months (95% ci: 5.6-7.4; number of events=247) versus 3.8 months (95% ci: 3.6-5.0; number of events=238) for patients who received tpc. lenvima plus keytruda reduced the risk of death by 32% (hr=0.68 [95% ci: 0.56-0.84]; p =0.0001), with a median os of 17.4 months (95% ci: 14.2-19.9; number of events=165) versus 12.0 months (95% ci: 10.8-13.3; number of events=203) for patients who received tpc. the secondary endpoint of orr was 30.3% (95% ci: 25.5-35.5), with a cr rate of 5.2% and a pr rate of 25.1%, for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda versus 15.1% (95% ci: 11.5-19.3), with a cr rate of 2.6% and a pr rate of 12.5%, for patients who received tpc (orr difference versus tpc: 15.2 percentage points: p<0.0001). for patients who responded, the median dor was 9.2 months (range: 1.6-23.7) for patients who received lenvima plus keytruda versus 5.7 months (range: 0.0-24.2) for patients who received tpc.

in the all-comer population, in the lenvima plus keytruda arm (n=406), any grade treatment-emergent adverse events (teaes) led to discontinuation of lenvima in 30.8% of patients, of keytruda in 18.7% of patients, and of both in 14.0% of patients. in the tpc arm (n=388), any grade teaes led to discontinuation of chemotherapy in 8.0% of patients. grade 5 teaes of any cause occurred in 5.7% of patients in the lenvima plus keytruda arm and in 4.9% of patients in the tpc arm. grade ≥3 teaes occurred in 88.9% of patients in the lenvima plus keytruda arm and in 72.7% of patients in the tpc arm. in the lenvima plus keytruda arm, the most common teaes of any grade occurring in at least 25% of patients were hypertension (64.0%), hypothyroidism (57.4%), diarrhea (54.2%), nausea (49.5%), decreased appetite (44.8%), vomiting (36.7%), weight decrease (34.0%), fatigue (33.0%), arthralgia (30.5%), proteinuria (28.8%), anemia (26.1%), constipation (25.9%), and urinary tract infection (25.6%). in the tpc arm, the most common teaes of any grade occurring in at least 25% of patients were anemia (48.7%), nausea (46.1%), neutropenia (33.8%), alopecia (30.9%), and fatigue (27.6%). median treatment duration was 231 days (range: 1-817) with lenvima plus keytruda and 104.5 days (range: 1-785) with tpc.

 

about renal cell carcinoma (rcc)2,3,4,5,6,7

worldwide, it is estimated there were more than 431,000 new cases of kidney cancer diagnosed and more than 179,000 deaths from the disease in 2020. in japan, there were more than 25,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths in 2020. in the u.s. alone, it is estimated there will be more than 76,000 new cases of kidney cancer diagnosed and almost 14,000 deaths from the disease in 2021. renal cell carcinoma is by far the most common type of kidney cancer; about nine out of 10 kidney cancers are rccs. renal cell carcinoma is about twice as common in men as in women. most cases of rcc are discovered incidentally during imaging tests for other abdominal diseases. approximately 30% of patients with rcc will have metastatic disease at diagnosis, and as many as 40% will develop metastases after primary surgical treatment for localized rcc. survival is highly dependent on the stage at diagnosis, and the five-year survival rate is 13% for patients with metastatic disease.

 

about endometrial carcinom8,9,10,11,12

endometrial carcinoma begins in the inner lining of the uterus, which is known as the endometrium, and is the most common type of cancer in the uterus. in 2020, it was estimated there were more than 417,000 new cases and more than 97,000 deaths from uterine body cancers worldwide (these estimates include both endometrial cancers and uterine sarcomas; more than 90% of uterine body cancers occur in the endometrium, so the actual numbers for endometrial cancer cases and deaths are slightly lower than these estimates). in japan, there were more than 17,000 new cases of uterine body cancer and more than 3,000 deaths from the disease in 2020. in the u.s., it is estimated there will be more than 66,000 new cases of uterine body cancer and nearly 13,000 deaths from the disease in 2021. the five-year survival rate for metastatic endometrial cancer (stage iv) is estimated to be approximately 17%.

 

about the merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. and eisai strategic collaboration

in march 2018, eisai and merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., known as msd outside the united states and canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of lenvima. under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize lenvima, both as monotherapy and in combination with keytruda, the anti-pd-1 therapy from merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.

in addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the lenvima plus keytruda combination across several different tumor types, the companies have jointly initiated new clinical studies through the leap (lenvatinib and pembrolizumab) clinical program and are evaluating the combination in 14 different tumor types (endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial cancer, biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer) across more than 20 clinical trials.

 

eisai’s focus on cancer

eisai focuses on the development of anticancer drugs, targeting the tumor microenvironment (with experience and knowledge from existing in-house discovered compounds) and the driver gene mutation and aberrant splicing (leveraging rna splicing platform) as areas (ricchi) where real patient needs are still unmet, and where eisai can aim to become a frontrunner in oncology. eisai aspires to discover innovative new drugs with new targets and mechanisms of action from these ricchi, with the aim of contributing to the cure of cancers.

 

about eisai

eisai is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in japan, with approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. we define our corporate mission as “giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides,” which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including oncology and neurology. in the spirit of hhc, we take that commitment even further by applying our scientific expertise, clinical capabilities and patient insights to discover and develop innovative solutions that help address society’s toughest unmet needs, including neglected tropical diseases and the sustainable development goals.

for more information about eisai, please visit (for global), (for u.s.) or (for europe, middle east, africa), and connect with us on twitter (. and ) and (for u.s.).

 

merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.’s focus on cancer

our goal is to translate breakthrough science into innovative oncology medicines to help people with cancer worldwide. at merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., the potential to bring new hope to people with cancer drives our purpose and supporting accessibility to our cancer medicines is our commitment. as part of our focus on cancer, merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. is committed to exploring the potential of immuno-oncology with one of the largest development programs in the industry across more than 30 tumor types. we also continue to strengthen our portfolio through strategic acquisitions and are prioritizing the development of several promising oncology candidates with the potential to improve the treatment of advanced cancers. for more information about our oncology clinical trials, visit .

 

about merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a.

for 130 years, merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a., known as msd outside of the united states and canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. we demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. today, merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., u.s.a. continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as hiv and ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. for more information, visit and connect with us on , , , and .

 

forward-looking statement of merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., usa

this news release of merck & co., inc., kenilworth, n.j., usa (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the u.s. private securities litigation reform act of 1995. these statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. there can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (covid-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the united states and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020 annual report on form 10-k and the company’s other filings with the securities and exchange commission (sec) available at the sec’s internet site ().

 

1 motzer r. et al. lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab or everolimus for advanced renal cell carcinoma.  the new england journal of medicine

2  international agency for research on cancer, world health organization. “kidney fact sheet.” cancer today, 2020.

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3  international agency for research on cancer, world health organization. “japan fact sheet.” cancer today, 2020.
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4  american cancer society. key statistics about kidney cancer,
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5  thomas a. z. et al. the role of metastasectomy in patients with renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid dedifferentiation: a matched controlled analysis. the journal of urology. 2016 sep; 196(3): 678–684.
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6  shinder b. et al. surgical management of advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a multidisciplinary approach. frontiers in oncology. 2017; 7: 107. .

7  padala, s. a., barsouk, a., thandra, k. c., saginala, k., mohammed, a., vakiti, a., rawla, p., & barsouk, a. (2020). epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma. world journal of oncology, 11(3), 79–87. .

8 american cancer society, facts & figures 2020 pdf:

9 international agency for research on cancer, world health organization. “corpus uteri fact sheet.” cancer today, 2020.

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10 international agency for research on cancer, world health organization. “japan fact sheet.” cancer today, 2020.

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11 cancer research institute website, accessed 3/1/2021:

12 american cancer society website, accessed 3/1/2021:

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