Weekend Healthcare Pulse: Development of subcutaneous anti-PD-1 medicines should be a strategic priority for all immunotherapy leaders

In this weekend healthcare pulse, Bernstein argues that development of subcutaneous anti-PD-1 medicines should be a strategic priority for all immunotherapy leaders. The report uses Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab plus hyaluronidase-fihj) as the gold-standard analog for maximum IV-to-SC conversion: approved in May 2020 on the Phase 3 COLUMBA trial, the SC formulation crossed 50% of US gross sales within months of launch and reached near-total dominance within three years, becoming the backbone of front-line multiple myeloma treatment. Drivers of the rapid transition are split into healthcare-provider-centric and patient-centric attributes. On the provider side, SC administration cuts chair time (a first IV infusion occupies a chair for roughly seven to eight hours versus three to five minutes for Faspro), gives capacity-constrained infusion centers a direct financial incentive to convert, reduces nursing burden by eliminating pre-medication, line placement and post-infusion observation, l