Merck & Co. shares moved higher after partner Kelun-Biotech disclosed positive data from a late-stage lung cancer trial that combined the experimental agent sac-TMT with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda. The stock rose 2.5% on the news and was trading at $123.91 in premarket activity.
Kelun-Biotech said the trial reached its primary endpoint in first-line advanced lung cancer patients whose tumors lacked PD-L1 expression. According to the company, the sac-TMT plus Keytruda regimen extended the time patients lived without their disease worsening compared with a regimen of Keytruda plus chemotherapy.
The study also showed a positive trend toward overall survival, though Kelun described that result as a trend rather than a definitive survival outcome. Kelun characterized the trial as the first late-stage test in which an antibody-drug conjugate combined with an immunotherapy achieved its main objective in this particular first-line lung cancer setting.
An analyst at Leerink Partners, Akash Tewari, said the data bolster the case that sac-TMT plus Keytruda could pose a challenge to current standard-of-care regimens across a wider first-line lung cancer population. That assessment frames the results as having potential commercial and clinical implications, while stopping short of claiming immediate changes to treatment standards.
Separately, Merck announced on Wednesday that Keytruda met the main goal in a late-stage study in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The company released that information alongside the Kelun-Biotech news, combining two clinical developments involving Keytruda in a single day of filings.
Market reaction to the Kelun-Biotech announcement was reflected in Merck's premarket share price, which stood at $123.91 following the disclosures. The market move came after Kelun's characterization of the trial outcome and the analyst commentary highlighting the therapy's potential to compete with established first-line approaches.
Context limitations: The information available describes the trial meeting its primary goal and notes a positive trend toward overall survival, but it does not present additional trial metrics, regulatory timelines, or commercial projections. The analyst comment frames potential competitive impact as possible rather than certain.