Merck & Co.'s Keytruda May Have an Edge Over Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo for Cancer Doctors
Recent clinical trial results are likely to lead doctors to treat more patients who have a common form of lung cancer with a Merck drug at the expense of a Bristol-Myers Squibb medication at least until more data emerges, oncologists and analysts say.
The yet-to-be-published studies involve drugs in a new class designed to enable the body's immune system to fight cancer.
A recent trial of Merck's Keytruda showed that it worked better than chemotherapy as an initial treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with high levels of a protein called PDL1, believed to help identify those most likely to benefit from this type of immunotherapy.
The yet-to-be-published studies involve drugs in a new class designed to enable the body's immune system to fight cancer.
A recent trial of Merck's Keytruda showed that it worked better than chemotherapy as an initial treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with high levels of a protein called PDL1, believed to help identify those most likely to benefit from this type of immunotherapy.