Health Canada Approves BAVENCIO™ (Avelumab for Injection) for the Treatment of Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) in Previously Treated Adult Patients

Overview

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 22, 2018 /CNW/ – EMD Serono, Canada, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada, and Pfizer Canada Inc. announced that Health Canada has approved BAVENCIO™ (avelumab for injection) for the treatment of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in previously treated adults. Reviewed under Health Canada’s accelerated approval framework, BAVENCIO was granted a Notice of Compliance with Conditions (NOC/c) based on tumour response and durability of response on December 18, 2017. BAVENCIO, a fully human anti-PD-L1 antibody, is the first Health Canada approved treatment for patients with metastatic MCC, a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer.