Phuturdex › Diseases › Head and neck neoplasms
Drugs in development · updated 30 October 2026
Head and neck neoplasms: drugs in development
As of 30 October 2026 there are 202 active clinical trials (recruiting or ongoing, phases I–III) on 184 drugs for head and neck neoplasms. 102 are experimental, that is not yet approved in the United States.
Summary updated every week · data as of 30 October 2026. In Phuturdex you get the full detail of every drug and an email when an alert is published on the ones you follow.
Sign in free →Experimental drugs
Not yet approved by the US FDA for any indication.
Sorted by most advanced phase and number of active trials. Showing 40 of 102 drugs.
Approved drugs in new trials
Approved by the US FDA for at least one indication, not necessarily this disease, and now in active trials on it.
| Drug | Most advanced phase | Active trials | Reference trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| PembrolizumabKEYTRUDA, MK-3475 | II–III | 50 | NCT06788990 |
| CisplatinCis Platinum, Cisplatine | II–III | 32 | NCT07528495 |
| CarboplatinCarboplatine, Paraplatin | III | 21 | NCT06998069 |
| CetuximabErbitux | III | 16 | NCT02999087 |
| PaclitaxelTaxol, Paxlitaxel | III | 13 | NCT06998069 |
| Fluorouracil5-Fluorouracil, Adrucil | III | 7 | NCT03840421 |
| TislelizumabTisleizumab, Tiselizumab | III | 5 | NCT06957938 |
| GemcitabineGemcitabin, Gemzar | III | 3 | NCT03840421 |
| AvelumabBavencio® | III | 2 | NCT02999087 |
| DostarlimabTSR-042, Jemperli® | III | 2 | NCT06256588 |
| All-trans retinoic acidATRA, Tretinoin | III | 1 | NCT06706401 |
| AmpicillinPolycillin-N®, Penbritin-S® | III | 1 | NCT07851857 |
| CytaluxPafolacianine | III | 1 | NCT06915727 |
| DocetaxelTaxotere, Beizray® | II | 10 | NCT07214987 |
| NivolumabOpdivo, ONO-4538 | I–II | 9 | NCT04180371 |
Sorted by most advanced phase and number of active trials. Showing 15 of 82 drugs.
All 184 drugs, with the details
In Phuturdex every drug has all its trials, sponsors and countries, FDA and EMA approvals, orphan designations and safety alerts. Free until 31 March 2027.
Open in Phuturdex →Specific forms
- Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma 321 drugs
- Esophageal neoplasm 191 drugs
- Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 115 drugs
- Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma 71 drugs
- Non-small-cell lung carcinoma 726 drugs
- Stomach neoplasm 340 drugs
- Colorectal neoplasm 534 drugs
- Melanoma 352 drugs
- Metastasis 493 drugs
- Thyroid neoplasm 99 drugs
- Uterine cervix neoplasm 224 drugs
- Ovarian neoplasm 411 drugs
Broader categories
- Neoplasm 671 drugs
- Glandular and epithelial neoplasm 12 drugs
- Carcinoma 137 drugs
- Squamous cell carcinoma 72 drugs
- Respiratory disease 57 drugs
- Respiratory tract neoplasm 21 drugs
Source: Phuturdex analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov data (U.S. National Library of Medicine), updated 30 October 2026. Active trials = recruiting or ongoing, phases I–III, with at least one identified drug; phase and sites refer to the trials on this disease. Disease name: Wikidata; NLM MeSH term: D006258 “Head and Neck Neoplasms”.