Merck and its Japanese partner, Eisai, announced on Friday that their late-stage clinical trials for a treatment targeting a specific type of non-small cell lung cancer did not meet their primary objectives. Despite this setback, the companies have expressed their commitment to continuing their research efforts.
The trials, known as LEAP-006 and LEAP-008, aimed to assess the effectiveness of Merck's Keytruda in combination with Eisai's Lenvima compared to other treatment options for adult patients with metastatic, nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The primary goals of these trials were overall survival and progression-free survival. Unfortunately, both trials fell short of achieving these endpoints. A thorough analysis of the data is currently underway and will be shared with the scientific community.
Dr. Gregory Lubiniecki, Vice President of Global Clinical Development at Merck Research Laboratories, acknowledged the disappointing results, but emphasized the significant role Keytruda has played in treating certain forms of lung cancer. He expressed Merck's determination to explore ways to enhance treatment responses for patients with challenging variants of the disease.
It is worth noting that Keytruda and Lenvima have already been approved in the U.S. for other cancers, such as advanced renal cell carcinoma and certain types of advanced endometrial carcinoma. The partnership between Merck and Eisai is also examining the combination's effectiveness in treating various tumor types, including endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, RCC, head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, and esophageal cancer through several clinical trials.
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Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with more than 2.2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths reported globally in 2020. In the U.S., non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 81% of all cases.
As of the year-to-date, Merck's stock has experienced a 3.8% decline, while the S&P 500 index has seen a 12.8% gain.
