Merck: lung cancer drug succeeds in trial; shares surge

(CercleFinance.com) - Merck's Keytruda significantly improved survival in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in a late-stage trial, the company said on Tuesday, sending its shares up over 7%.


The pivotal Phase 3 trial investigating Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy in combination with other anticancer drugs for the first-line treatment of the disease met both its primary endpoints of overall survival and progression-free survival, Merck said.

The drugmaker said it plans to present more data in the near future.

Currently, the five-year survival rate for patients suffering from highly advanced, metastatic (Stage IV) lung cancers is estimated to be 2%.

Listed on the Dow Jones index, Merck shares were up 7% at 62.8 dollars one hour after the market opened.

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