KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the presentation of data from all three cohorts of the registrational, phase 2 KEYNOTE-059 trial investigating the use of KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), the company’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma, including new data in treatment-naïve patients. Overall, results showed antitumor activity and durability of response with KEYTRUDA across multiple lines of therapy, with higher response rates observed in PD-L1-positive (CPS =1) patients:
- In heavily pre-treated patients, KEYTRUDA monotherapy (Cohort 1) showed an overall response rate (ORR) of 12 percent (95% CI, 8-17) in all patients and 16 percent (95% CI, 11-23) in patients with PD-L1 positive tumors.
- In treatment-naïve patients, KEYTRUDA in combination with chemotherapy (Cohort 2) showed an ORR of 60 percent (95% CI, 39-79) in all patients and 69 percent (95% CI, 41-89) in patients with PD-L1 positive tumors.
- In treatment-naïve patients with PD-L1 positive tumors, KEYTRUDA monotherapy (Cohort 3) showed an ORR of 26 percent (95% CI, 12-45).
Results are being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress in Madrid, Spain, in an oral presentation on Friday, Sept. 8 from 3:03-3:15 p.m. CEST (Location: Barcelona Auditorium) (Abstract #LBA28_PR).
