RE:Merck' anti-PD-1 Keytruda fails as a monotherapy with chemoDecember 09, 2024 - Merck hasn’t had much luck pairing its cancer superstar Keytruda with PARP inhibitor Lynparza. After flunking three clinical trials with the combination, the company recent Phase 3 KEYLYNK-001 study, which evaluates Keytruda plus chemotherapy, followed by Lynparza maintenance, with or without Avastin, has met its primary endpoint, staving off progression of the disease. The regimen was tested as a first-line treatment for patients with BRCA non-mutated advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
The combo dmonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) over chemotherapy alone, but it did not reach its secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS), according to analysis conducted by an independent data monitoring committee.
“For people living with ovarian cancer, there remains an unmet need for new treatment options that have the potential to improve outcomes,” Gursel Aktan, Merck Research Laboratories’ VP for global clinical development, said in a statement. “KEYLYNK-001 is the first positive phase 3 trial for Keytruda plus Lynparza, highlighting our commitment to research that may help address the global impact of women’s cancers.”
[ These results further opens the door for ONCY's pelareorep in combination with these agents plus chemotherapy for a plausible chemo-dual-immunotherapy + small molecule treatment combination ]
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/merck-gets-rare-win-keytrudalynparza-combo-role-keytruda-ovarian-cancer-remains-uncertain