Merck's Keytruda Shows Better Disease-Free Survival As Adjuvant Therapy In Kidney Cancer

Merck & Co Inc MRK has announced interim data from Phase 3 KEYNOTE-564 trial evaluating Keytruda as a potential adjuvant treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following nephrectomy (surgical removal of a kidney) or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions.
Based on an interim analysis conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee, Keytruda monotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in DFS compared with placebo.
The trial will continue to evaluate overall survival (OS), a key secondary endpoint. The safety profile of KEYTRUDA in this trial was consistent with that observed in previously reported studies.
Merck will present the results at an upcoming medical meeting and submit them to regulatory authorities.
Keytruda is currently approved in the U.S., Europe, and Japan combined with axitinib for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced RCC.
Price Action: MRK shares are up 0.37% at $76.4 in premarket trading on the last check Thursday.