Merck combination treatment for lung cancer fails late-stage study

London: Merck said on Thursday a combination of two of its cancer drugs failed to meet the main goals of a late-stage study evaluating it as an initial treatment for a type of lung cancer.

This is the latest trial failure studying the combination of Merck's blockbuster drug Keytruda and AstraZeneca-partnered Lynparza. It previously failed a trial evaluating it as a treatment for a type of prostate cancer.

The treatment failed to extend survival in patients and survival without the disease worsening in certain patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, and kills more people in the United States than any other form of cancer, according to the CDC.

The patients in the study first received a combination of Keytruda and chemotherapy, followed by Keytruda and Lynparza.

The study evaluated the combination in patients with the disease who were not recommended for therapies that target certain gene mutations.

Merck said a full evaluation of the studies was underway.

Keytruda, the company's top seller, brought in $25.01 billion in revenue in 2023, while Lynparza earned it $1.2 billion in the same period.

In December, a combination of Keytruda and Eisai's Lenvima failed a late-stage trial testing it as a treatment for a type of cancer in the uterus lining. The companies had also discontinued two late-stage studies testing the combination against head, neck and skin cancers.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Varun H K)