Merck’s pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy showed sustained survival benefit versus chemotherapy alone

In first-line metastatic NSCLC, KEYTRUDA-based regimens have now shown a five-year survival benefit in four trials

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, plus chemotherapy continued to demonstrate a survival benefit and durable responses in two five-year exploratory analyses of pivotal Phase 3 studies as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

KEYTRUDA is the first immunotherapy to demonstrate a sustained five-year survival benefit both in combination with chemotherapy and as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of NSCLC. In addition to NSCLC, five-year survival data for KEYTRUDA have been presented in three other types of cancer, including bladder cancer (KEYNOTE-045), head and neck cancer (KEYNOTE-048) and melanoma (KEYNOTE-054).

“The overall survival findings from KEYNOTE-189 and KEYNOTE-407 changed the way patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer were treated and established KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy as a foundational first-line treatment for this devastating disease,” said Dr. Eliav Barr, senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. “Now, with more than five years of follow-up, these studies continue to show impressive survival outcomes and durable responses for patients receiving KEYTRUDA in combination with chemotherapy. In fact, in both studies, of the approximately 55 patients who completed two years of treatment, about 70% were alive at five years.”

“Prior to these landmark studies, lung cancer had a 10% five-year survival rate, one of the lowest of any cancer,” said Dr. Marina C. Garassino, professor of medicine, University of Chicago, Hematology/Oncology, and principal investigator for KEYNOTE-189. “These results show meaningful improvements in five-year survival for patients receiving KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy and reinforce the important role of these KEYTRUDA-based regimens as standards of care for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.”