Head-to-head evidence
Pembrolizumab vs Retifanlimab
Same mechanism, same race: design-graded trial evidence for both assets, with the grading rationale shown. Grades describe the quality of the evidence, never the merits of either security.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Shared mechanism: PD-1 · full Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer pipeline
Pembrolizumab
Marketed by Merck & Co.
NCT02142738 · Phase 3 · completed
The trial randomized 305 participants to pembrolizumab or active platinum-based chemotherapy, but treatment was open-label rather than double-blinded. Its radiographically assessed primary endpoint, 6-month progression-free survival, was met: 62.1% with pembrolizumab versus 50.3% with chemotherapy, with p<0.001 and a hazard ratio of 0.50 (95% CI 0.37–0.68).
Next expected readout: October 2026 · NCT06447662 (registry estimate)
Retifanlimab
Marketed by Incyte
NCT04205812 · Phase 3 · completed
Participants were randomly assigned and double-blinded to receive retifanlimab or placebo with standard chemotherapy, with 391 in the retifanlimab group and 192 in the control group. The hard clinical primary endpoint of overall survival was met, favoring retifanlimab (hazard ratio 0.75; p=0.0042).
Next expected readout: December 2027 · NCT07219576 (registry estimate)
The full competitive landscape for each asset (every same-race competitor with aligned evidence, sortable) is on the asset pages: Pembrolizumab's landscape · Retifanlimab's landscape