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Placebo for pembrolizumab
A placebo contains no active pharmaceutical ingredient and produces no direct pharmacological effect.
A placebo contains no active pharmaceutical ingredient and produces no direct pharmacological effect. Used for Control arm in Phase 3 clinical trial of pembrolizumab.
At a glance
| Generic name | Placebo for pembrolizumab |
|---|---|
| Also known as | normal saline or dextrose |
| Sponsor | Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Phase | Phase 3 |
Mechanism of action
Placebos are inert substances used as controls in clinical trials to establish the true efficacy of an active drug by comparison. In this case, it serves as the control arm in a Phase 3 trial of pembrolizumab, allowing researchers to isolate the therapeutic effect of the PD-1 inhibitor from natural disease progression and placebo response effects.
Approved indications
- Control arm in Phase 3 clinical trial of pembrolizumab
Common side effects
Key clinical trials
- A Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) With or Without Lenvatinib (E7080/MK-7902) as First Line (1L) Intervention in a Programmed Cell Death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) Selected Population With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) (MK-7902-010) (KEYNOTE-010) (PHASE3)
- Testing the Addition of the Immunotherapy Drug Pembrolizumab to the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment (Paclitaxel and Carboplatin) in Stage III-IV or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer (PHASE3)
- Genetic Testing in Screening Patients With Stage IB-IIIA Non-small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Been or Will Be Removed by Surgery (The ALCHEMIST Screening Trial) (NA)
- A Study of V940/Placebo + Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in Metastatic Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (V940-013) (PHASE2)
- SSRI Antidepressant Fluoxetine Improving Immunotherapy Efficacy in Advanced Hepatobiliary Malignancy Patients With Depression and Anxiety (PHASE2)
- A Study of Intismeran Autogene (V940) Plus Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Placebo Plus Pembrolizumab in Participants With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (V940-002) (PHASE3)
- A Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) With or Without Intismeran Autogene (V940) in Participants With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (V940-009/INTerpath-009) (PHASE3)
- Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Plus Gemcitabine/Cisplatin Versus Placebo Plus Gemcitabine/Cisplatin for First-Line Advanced and/or Unresectable Biliary Tract Carcinoma (BTC) (MK-3475-966/KEYNOTE-966) (PHASE3)
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Trial enrolment, design, endpoints, results |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Placebo for pembrolizumab CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Placebo for pembrolizumab updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC portfolio CI