Aug 8, 2024 (Reuters) – Merck (MRK.N) said on Thursday it had discontinued a trial testing a combination immunotherapy treatment in patients with a type of lung cancer after an interim analysis showed the drug was unlikely to succeed.
The patients tested with a combination of its experimental drug, vibostolimab, with Keytruda experienced a higher rate of immune-related side effects, Merck said, adding that patients should stop ongoing treatment with the therapy.
The discontinuation marked yet another setback for vibostolimab and the promising new class of immunotherapies called anti-TIGIT to which it belongs.
Gilead Sciences
(GILD.O), Roche (ROG.S), and GSK (GSK.L) are among half a dozen drugmakers looking to grab a share of the lucrative anti-TIGIT cancer drug market, but the field has experienced multiple setbacks.
Vibostolimab works by selectively binding itself to TIGIT, a receptor on immune cells, to activate the immune system against cancer cells and prevent a misguided immune attack against healthy cells.