Merck: halts phase III study as melanoma drug fails

(CercleFinance.com) - Merck said on Friday that it will stop a late-stage trial of a melanoma drug after it was determined that the study did not meet its primary endpoint.


The company was testing the epacadostat drug of partner Incyte in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, although an independent data monitoring committee determined that the drug did not improve progression-free survival compared to Merck's Keytruda.

The study's second primary endpoint of overall survival is not expected to reach statistical significance either, it said.

This news sent Merck shares down 1.5% in pre-market trading on Friday.



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