Data from several trials support the efficacy of first-line tyrosine-kinase inhibitors combined with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. However, whether combining these drugs is preferable to using them sequentially remains unclear. Here, we assess the implications for patients and payers of limited access to second-line ICIs in the control arms of trials.
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D.A.G. has received institutional research funding from Bristol–Myers Squibb, Jannsen and Merck, has received consultancy fees from VIVIO Health and owns shares in VIVIO Health and TailorMed. G.W.S. is employed by the United States government; the views expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the US Government.
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Strohbehn, G.W., Goldstein, D.A. Registration trials in countries without access to US standards of care — pitfalls of interpretation. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 18, 395–396 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-021-00506-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-021-00506-z
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