pegvorhyaluronidase alfa

Pegvorhyaluronidase alfa is a first-in-class, PEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase developed as an anticancer therapy. It enzymatically degrades hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan that accumulates in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of many solid tumors, leading to increased interstitial pressure and impaired drug delivery. By breaking down HA, pegvorhyaluronidase alfa remodels the TME, reduces tumor interstitial pressure, improves vascular perfusion, and enhances the delivery and efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents and immunotherapies. The drug was primarily investigated for use in combination with other systemic therapies for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), particularly in patients with high levels of tumor hyaluronan. Despite showing some improvement in objective response rate when combined with standard chemotherapy regimens such as nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine, it did not improve overall survival or progression-free survival in phase III trials. Development for this indication has been discontinued.

Other names

pegvorhyaluronidase alfaPVHAPEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20