Merck scraps two late-stage trials of cancer drug Keytruda, ET HealthWorld

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Merck scraps two late-stage trials of ******* ***** Keytruda, ET HealthWorld

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London: Merck has stopped two separate late-stage studies of its immunotherapy Keytruda in patients with skin and lung cancers, the company said on Thursday, marking the latest set of trial failures for the blockbuster *****.

The company has been seeking to test Keytruda in combination with other treatments and expand its use in types of cancers not yet treated by immunotherapies, as the ***** faces loss of patent protection at the end of the decade.

A trial of the ***** in patients with an advanced type of skin ******* called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma was stopped for “futility”, meaning it was likely to fail, the company said.

The ***** also did not help extend how long patients remain free of complications when it was tested for stage 1 or 2 of non-small cell lung ******* in combination with a type of radiotherapy.

“Unmet needs remain across different types of ******* and stages of ********,” said Marjorie Green, head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories.

“That is why we continue our rigorous exploration of innovative treatment approaches in cancers with high unmet need.”

This year, Merck’s combination immunotherapy of vibostolimab and Keytruda faced two separate trial discontinuations when evaluated as treatments for lung and skin *******.

In recent months, the Keytruda-Astraeneca Lynparza combination and Keytruda with Eisai’s Lenvima also ******* separate trials as ******* treatments.

Keytruda belongs to a class of medicines called ***-1 inhibitors that work by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and ****** tumor cells.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

• Published On Aug 29, 2024 at 09:43 PM IST

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