Merck’s blockbuster lung-cancer drug Keytruda has seen some recent positive results, bringing relief to investor concerns over testing delays and an application withdrawal for European use of the drug.
Early results from a recent study found that a combo of Keytruda and two chemotherapy medicines helped lung cancer patients live longer and stopped the disease from advancing. The results will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.
An earlier trial had similar positive results but was too small to be definitive. The latest results place Merck further ahead in the race to develop drugs that can be used as the initial or first-line treatment for patients with a common type of lung cancer.
Roche, AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb are all developing combination lung cancer treatments of their own.
Read the Reuters report