Merck & Co’s Keytruda shows potential in head and neck cancer use

Merck & Co might be able to find another use for its immunotherapy Keytruda in first-line head and neck cancer, after revealing promising phase 3 trial results. US-based Merck said the pivotal phase 3 trial investigating Keytruda monotherapy as a first-line treatment in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) had met one of its targets in tumors expressing high levels of the biomarker PD-L1. An interim analysis showed the trial met a primary endpoint of extending overall survival, compared with the current standard of care, which is Erbitux (cetuximab) from Germany’s Merck KGaA in combination with platinum chemotherapy plus 5-fluorouracil. The results are based on a provisional analysis issued by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, which found Merck’s drug contributing to “significantly longer patient survival rates”. Keytruda did not manage to meet the other primary endpoint of progression-free-survival at the time of the interim analysis.