Phuturdex › Diseases › Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Drugs in development · updated 30 October 2026
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: drugs in development
As of 30 October 2026 there are 427 active clinical trials (recruiting or ongoing, phases I–III) on 321 drugs for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. 233 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 233 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 | 112 | NCT06788990 |
| CisplatinCis Platinum, Cisplatine | II–III | 79 | NCT05063552 |
| CarboplatinCarboplatine, Paraplatin | II–III | 56 | NCT05063552 |
| CetuximabErbitux | II–III | 39 | NCT05063552 |
| PaclitaxelTaxol, Paxlitaxel | III | 33 | NCT05721755 |
| NivolumabOpdivo, ONO-4538 | II–III | 26 | NCT03952585 |
| DocetaxelTaxotere, Beizray® | II–III | 25 | NCT05063552 |
| TislelizumabTisleizumab, Tiselizumab | III | 19 | NCT06258811 |
| ToripalimabJS001, Teripalimab | II–III | 17 | NCT05125055 |
| Fluorouracil5-Fluorouracil, Adrucil | II–III | 16 | NCT05125055 |
| Nab-paclitaxelAbraxane, Nab-placlitaxel | III | 15 | NCT07827872 |
| GemcitabineGemcitabin, Gemzar | II–III | 7 | NCT06719479 |
| AtezolizumabTecentriq, MPDL3280A | II–III | 6 | NCT05063552 |
| AvelumabBavencio® | III | 6 | NCT02999087 |
| Bevacizumabavastin, MVASI | II–III | 6 | NCT05063552 |
Sorted by most advanced phase and number of active trials. Showing 15 of 88 drugs.
All 321 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 →Broader categories
- Glandular and epithelial neoplasm 12 drugs
- Carcinoma 137 drugs
- Neoplasm 671 drugs
- Squamous cell carcinoma 72 drugs
- Head and neck neoplasms 184 drugs
- Respiratory disease 57 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: D000077195 “Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck”.