What types of cancer can Tivdak treat? The latest trial data.

Last updated: 09 April 2024

Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) belongs to a class of medicines known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). ADCs are a novel (though not new) approach to cancer treatment. They have been referred to as "biological missiles" for their ability to target and attach themselves to cancer cells and administer their chemotherapy component directly at target ¹.

Currently, tisotumab vedotin is only approved to treat cervical cancer. However, just like other ADCs, it is also being studied for its potential wider application in cancer treatment. Could tisotumab vedotin be used to treat breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and more?

Here are the latest trial results to give you insight into what types of cancer Tivdak could treat.

What indications is Tivdak approved for?

Currently, Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) is only approved by the FDA to treat adults with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer ². It's not approved by the EMA for any indication yet.

Can tisotumab vedotin treat ovarian cancer?

Tivdak is not approved for the treatment of ovarian cancer anywhere. However, some clinical trials on its safety and efficacy for this indication are available. Here's what the InnovaTV 208 trial on platinum-resistant ovarian cancer reported:

The median time to response was 1.4 months;
8.9% of patients responded to the treatment either partially or completely;
12% of patients had at least a 50% reduction in their Cancer Antigen 125 (CA-125) value;
54.4% of patients either responded to the treatment or had a stable disease as measured at least once after start of the clinical trial at intervals of minimum 12 weeks;
The median duration of response was 4.21 months;
The median overall survival was 10.68 months ³.

Based on this trial alone, it's early to say whether tisotumab vedotin could play a larger role in ovarian cancer treatment. Hopefully, further research will provide more data to draw conclusions from.

Tisotumab vedotin for head and neck cancers (SCCHN)

Tivdak is not yet approved for treating squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Some data about its potential in this area is available from the preliminary results of the InnovaTV 207 trial. Some of the interesting preliminary findings include:

Tumors shrank in size for 16.1% of patients;
58.1% of patients either responded to the treatment or had a stable disease;
The median progression-free survival was 4.2 months;
The median overall survival was 9.4 months;
Adverse effects were reported in all participants, but were considered manageable ⁴.

As the InnovaTV 207 study continues, we hope to receive more encouraging results for head and neck cancer patients.

Can tisotumab vedotin treat pancreatic cancer, NSCLC, or colorectal cancer?

Tivdak is not approved for any of these indications yet. However, a phase 2 clinical trial is currently recruiting participants with a variety of relapsed, locally-advanced or metastatic solid tumors, including:

colorectal or pancreatic cancer;
squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC);
squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) ⁵.

This study's completion data is expected at the end of 2026. As (preliminary) results become available, we'll have more insight into Tivdak's potential role in wider cancer treatment.

What other cancers can Tivdak treat?

Studies focusing on Tivdak often include participants with a range of solid tumors. In addition to the indications already discussed above, tisotumab vedotin is also being studied in the context of bladder cancer, esophagus cancer, and ovary cancer.

While it's positive to see a lot of research attention focused on a novel treatment such as Tivdak, it's also too early to say if any of these trials will yield results convincing enough to justify an additional approval. Hopefully, that will be the case. In the meantime, Tivdak's EMA approval is first on the horizon.

Is Tivdak not approved or available in your country? If you and your doctor are of the opinion that this treatment might benefit you, get in touch with our team of medicine access experts. We'll do our best to help you access the medicine quickly.