Merck said on Wednesday its therapy did not meet the main goal of a late-stage trial evaluating it in patients with a type of colorectal cancer.

Merck & Co.’s said a late-stage trial of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda in combination with favezelimab failed to meet the main goal of overall survival (OS) as a treatment for a type of colon cancer.

Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) released topline data from the KEYFORM-007 Phase 3 study of the fixed-dose combination of favezelimab and pembrolizumab versus the standard of care for pretreated patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

An attempt by Merck & Co. to unlock the microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer market has ended in failure. | An attempt by Merck & Co. to unlock the microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer market has ended in failure.

Merck follows in the footsteps of Bristol Myers Squibb, which in December 2023 also failed to secure a late-stage victory for its combo regimen of a PD-1 blocker and an anti-LAG-3 antibody.

Merck MRK announced data from the phase III KEYFORM-007 study, which evaluated a fixed-dose combination of its anti-LAG-3 antibody, favezelimab and its blockbuster anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda in pre-treated patients with PD-L1 positive microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).