(Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc and Eisai Co Ltd said on Friday they were discontinuing a late-stage study of Keytruda plus Lenvima for treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, as the trial did not show improvement in overall survival.
The decision to discontinue was based on the recommendation of an independent data monitoring committee after an interim analysis, the companies said.
They also said another late-stage trial for Keytruda and Lenvima did not meet its main goal of overall survival for treating a type of colorectal or colon cancer.
Merck’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda belongs to class of medicines called PD-1 inhibitors that work by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells.
(Reporting by Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Jason Neely and Jan Harvey)
