How effective is Tevimbra (Tislelizumab-jsgr)?

Tevimbra (Tislelizumab-jsgr) contains the active substance tislelizumab and is primarily used to treat squamous esophageal cancer (cancer of the esophagus, the passage from the mouth to the stomach) when platinum-based drugs are not effective enough to treat the cancer. In some countries, Tevimbra is also used to treat non-small cell lung cancer that is advanced or has spread to other parts of the body. It can be used in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients whose cancer cannot be surgically removed or who have been treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These patients' cancers produce certain levels of the PD-L1 protein.

In a study of 360 patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), those who received Tevimbra lived longer without worsening of their disease than those who received chemotherapy alone: approximately 7.7 months and 9.6 months depending on the combination therapy, compared with 5.5 months for those who received chemotherapy alone.

In another study of 334 patients with non-squamous NSCLC whose tumors tested strongly positive for PD-L1, patients who received Tevimbra chemotherapy lived about 14.6 months without their disease worsening, compared with 4.6 months for those who received chemotherapy alone. In both combined studies, patients using Tevimbra also lived longer on average.

The third study, involving805 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had previously received chemotherapy, showed that Tevimbra alone was more effective than docetaxel. In this study, patients who received Tevimbra lived an average of about 17 months, while those who received docetaxel lived an average of about 12 months.

One major study involved512 adults with advanced or metastatic squamous esophageal cancer whose disease progressed after receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients treated with Tevimbra lived an average of 8.6 months, while patients treated with other cancer drugs (paclitaxel, docetaxel or irinotecan) lived an average of 6.3 months.

Reference materials:https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/tevimbra