pembrolizumab + sitravatinib

Pembrolizumab + sitravatinib is an investigational combination therapy consisting of pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and sitravatinib, an oral small molecule multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Pembrolizumab acts as an immune checkpoint inhibitor by blocking PD-1 on T cells, thereby enhancing anti-tumor immune responses. Sitravatinib inhibits several receptor tyrosine kinases including TAM family receptors (TYRO3, AXL, MERTK) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), which can modulate the tumor microenvironment to promote immunostimulation and potentially overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibitors. The combination is being studied primarily in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with positive PD-L1 expression in treatment-naïve patients.