Merck's Cancer Drug Keytruda Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 Trial

By Matt Grossman

Merck & Co. Inc.'s Keytruda drug met the primary endpoint of a Phase 3 trial to evaluate its use in treating an additional form of cancer, the Kenilworth, N.J.-based pharmaceutical company said Thursday.

The trial evaluated Keytruda's use as an adjuvant treatment for people with renal cell carcinoma following a nephrectomy, or a nephrectomy and the resection of metastatic lesions. Nephrectomy is the removal of a kidney. In the trial, which included 950 patients, subjects received either Keytruda or a placebo.

Keytruda led to a meaningful improvement in disease-free survival compared with the placebo in the trial, Merck said. Researchers will continue to evaluate overall survival among the patients in the trial.

Dr. Roy Baynes, Merck Research Laboratories' chief medical officer, said the company would share detailed results from the trial with regulators as soon as possible.

Keytruda, or pembrolizumab, has already been approved in the U.S. for roles in treating other forms of cancer.

Write to Matt Grossman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-08-21 0716ET