Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) announced on Thursday that its investigational lung cancer therapeutic combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and vibostolimab failed to meet the goal of a mid-stage study.
Vibostolimab is an investigational anti-TIGIT antibody that Merck said restores antitumor activity by blocking the TIGIT receptor from binding to its ligands (CD112 and CD155), activating T lymphocytes that assist in destroying tumor cells.
The company said the Phase 2 study of the combination therapy in previously treated patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer showed vibostolimab/pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy drug docetaxel extended median progression-free survival by 2.4 months compared to those treated with docetaxel alone but did not reach statistical significance.
The drug combination alone also failed to improve overall survival.
Additionally, Merck announced Thursday that it will be discontinuing a Phase 3 trial evaluating Keytruda in combination with PARP inhibitor Lynparza for patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer after data from an interim analysis was disappointing.
"We sincerely thank the patients and investigators for their participation in this study, and we will continue to advance our clinical development program to evaluate Keytruda-based combinations and novel candidates for patients with lung cancer,” Dr Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of late-stage oncology, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories, said in a statement.
The company’s shares were lower on the announcements, down 1.6% at US$104 on Thursday morning.
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