A Phase 3 interventional study of Pembrolizumab and Lenvatinib in Malignant Melanoma, sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Completed at 11 sites in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-23.
Sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of the China Extension study is to assess the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) combined with lenvatinib (MK-7902/E7080) compared to pembrolizumab alone (with placebo for lenvatinib) as first-line treatment in Chinese participants with no prior systemic therapy for their advanced melanoma.
As of 03-Apr-2023, active participants, investigator, and sponsor personnel or delegate(s) involved in the treatment administration or clinical evaluation of the participants will be unblinded.
3,006 studies on the registry are indexed under Melanoma; 519 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 131 is above the median of 38 across 2,350 interventional studies indexed under Melanoma.
Browse Melanoma studies →Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC is the lead sponsor of 2,114 studies on the registry; 133 are open to participants now.
Of its 489 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 362 (74%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Has been untreated for advanced or metastatic disease except as follows: a. proto-oncogene B-Raf (BRAF) V600 mutation-positive melanoma may have received standard of care targeted therapy as first-line therapy for advanced or metastatic disease. Participants that do not have a BRAF V600 mutation but did receive BRAF or BRAF/MEKi therapy are eligible to participate in this study after discussion with the medical monitor.
b. Prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy, with targeted therapy or immunotherapy (such as anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 [CTLA-4], anti-programmed cell death 1 [anti-PD-1] therapy or interferon) will only be permitted if relapse did not occur during active treatment or within 6 months of treatment discontinuation.
Female participants must not be pregnant, not breastfeeding, and ≥1 of the following conditions applies:
Exclusion Criteria:
Exceptions include early stage cancers (carcinoma in situ or Stage 1, non-ulcerated primary melanoma \<1 mm in depth with no nodal involvement) treated with curative intent, basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, in situ cervical cancer, or in situ breast cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy.
Exception to this rule would be use of denosumab, which is not excluded. Note: Participants with alopecia and ≤Grade 2 neuropathy are an exception and may enroll.
Participants receive pembrolizumab 200 mg via intravenous (IV) infusion on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle for up to 35 administrations (up to approximately 2 years) PLUS lenvatinib 20 mg via oral capsule daily for up to at least 2 years.
Biological: Pembrolizumab · Drug: Lenvatinib
Participants receive pembrolizumab 200 mg via IV infusion on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle for up to 35 administrations (up to approximately 2 years) PLUS placebo for lenvatinib via oral capsule daily for up to at least 2 years.
Biological: Pembrolizumab · Drug: Placebo for lenvatinib
IV infusion
Also known as: MK-3475, KEYTRUDA®
Oral capsule
Also known as: MK-7902, E7080, LENVIMA®
Oral capsule
Progression-free Survival (PFS) as Assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) Per Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1)
PFS is defined as the time from date of randomization to the date of the first documentation of progressive disease (PD) or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST 1.1, PD is defined as ≥20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Note: The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered PD. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
Time frame: Up to approximately 30 months
Overall Survival (OS)
OS is defined as the time from date of randomization to date of death from any cause.
Time frame: Up to approximately 30 months
Objective Response Rate (ORR) as Assessed by BICR Per RECIST 1.1
ORR is defined as the percentage of participants in the analysis population who have a Complete Response (CR: Disappearance of all target lesions) or a Partial Response (PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) per RECIST 1.1. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
Time frame: Up to approximately 30 months
Duration of Response (DOR) as Assessed by BICR Per RECIST 1.1
For participants who demonstrated CR (disappearance of all target lesions) or PR (at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions), DOR is defined as the date of the first documented evidence of CR or PR until PD or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST 1.1, PD is defined as ≥20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Note: The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered PD. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
Time frame: Up to approximately 30 months
Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs)
An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant, temporally associated with the use of study treatment, whether or not considered related to the study treatment.
Time frame: Up to approximately 50 months
Number of Participants Who Discontinue Study Treatment Due to Adverse Events (AEs)
The number of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be presented.
Time frame: Up to approximately 39 months
The China extension study enrolled 131 participants. 62 participants were randomized in the global portion for MK-7902-003 (NCT03820986) and 69 in the China extension portion
| Milestone | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 64 | 67 |
| Completed | 0 | 0 |
| Not completed | 64 | 67 |
| Withdrew: Death | 49 | 47 |
| Withdrew: Sponsor decision | 15 | 20 |
PFS is defined as the time from date of randomization to the date of the first documentation of progressive disease (PD) or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST 1.1, PD is defined as ≥20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Note: The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered PD. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
| Months | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Progression-free Survival (PFS) as Assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) Per Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) | 6.1 (4.1 to 8.1) | 2.0 (2.0 to 2.1) |
OS is defined as the time from date of randomization to date of death from any cause.
| Months | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Survival (OS) | 19.9 (11.9 to 26.8) | 17.0 (12.7 to 25.7) |
ORR is defined as the percentage of participants in the analysis population who have a Complete Response (CR: Disappearance of all target lesions) or a Partial Response (PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) per RECIST 1.1. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
| Percentage of Participants | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Objective Response Rate (ORR) as Assessed by BICR Per RECIST 1.1 | 26.6 (16.3 to 39.1) | 16.4 (8.5 to 27.5) |
For participants who demonstrated CR (disappearance of all target lesions) or PR (at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions), DOR is defined as the date of the first documented evidence of CR or PR until PD or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST 1.1, PD is defined as ≥20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Note: The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered PD. For this study, RECIST 1.1 has been modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.
| Months | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Duration of Response (DOR) as Assessed by BICR Per RECIST 1.1 | 13.7 (4.2 to NA) | NA (6.5 to NA) |
An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant, temporally associated with the use of study treatment, whether or not considered related to the study treatment.
| Participants | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) | 64 | 67 |
The number of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be presented.
| Participants | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participants Who Discontinue Study Treatment Due to Adverse Events (AEs) | 10 | 3 |
Collected over Up to approximately 51 months. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | 49/64 (76.6%) | 14/64 (21.9%) | 64/64 (100%) |
| Pembrolizumab + Placebo | 47/67 (70.1%) | 12/67 (17.9%) | 66/67 (98.5%) |
| Event | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab + Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Urinary tract infectionInfections and infestations | 2/64 | 0/67 |
| Acute myocardial infarctionCardiac disorders | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| Cardiac arrestCardiac disorders | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| ColitisGastrointestinal disorders | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| PancreatitisGastrointestinal disorders | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| CholecystitisHepatobiliary disorders | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| GastroenteritisInfections and infestations | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| PneumoniaInfections and infestations | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| Upper respiratory tract infectionInfections and infestations | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| Platelet count decreasedInvestigations | 1/64 | 0/67 |
| Event | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab + Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| HypothyroidismEndocrine disorders | 47/64 | 15/67 |
| ProteinuriaRenal and urinary disorders | 46/64 | 31/67 |
| HypertriglyceridaemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders | 42/64 | 25/67 |
| HypertensionVascular disorders | 41/64 | 8/67 |
| Weight decreasedInvestigations | 36/64 | 15/67 |
| HypercholesterolaemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders | 33/64 | 13/67 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations | 30/64 | 17/67 |
| Blood lactate dehydrogenase increasedInvestigations | 28/64 | 17/67 |
| HyperglycaemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders | 27/64 | 9/67 |
| DiarrhoeaGastrointestinal disorders | 26/64 | 1/67 |
| Age, Continuous(Years) | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 56.4 ± 11.7 | 57.3 ± 13.5 | 56.9 ± 12.6 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| Male | 38 | 35 | 73 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 61 | 66 | 127 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Pembrolizumab+Lenvatinib | Pembrolizumab+Placebo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian | 64 | 67 | 131 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| White | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| More than one race | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — http://engagezone.msd.com/doc/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC