MRK Merck and Co Inc

By Colin Kellaher

Merck & Co. on Wednesday said a Phase 3 study of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda missed its primary endpoint in patients with unresected locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, or HNSCC.

The Kenilworth, N.J., drugmaker said patients receiving Keytruda with concurrent chemoradiation therapy followed by Keytruda as maintenance therapy showed improvement in event-free survival, but the results didn't meet statistical significance.

Merck said the study results show that locally advanced HNSCC remains very challenging to treat, adding that it is committed to investigating Keytruda-based regimens in earlier stages of the disease.

Keytruda, a cancer drug that harnesses a patient's immune system to fight tumors, is approved in dozens of indications around the world, including some HNSCC indications.

Sales of Keytruda topped $17 billion last year.

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 20, 2022 07:21 ET (11:21 GMT)

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