Merck and Co. reported positive results from several studies this week involving its major immunotherapy drug, Keytruda.
In one study, a group of 258 men with advanced prostate cancer were given the immunotherapy treatment. After a year, 38 percent were still alive and for 11 percent, the cancer had stopped growing.
The company also announced positive results from a study this week that showed Keytruda had halted the progression of melanoma in 90 percent of patients who took it for two years. Data from the same study showed that Keytruda could also improve survival rates for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients, even as a stand-alone treatment.
So far, Keytruda has been approved to treat several cancers including lung and gastric cancer.
While the market for oncology immunotherapies is becoming increasingly competitive, none of Keytruda’s rivals have been shown to be as beneficial in as many cancers.
Read the full Bloomberg report.