Merck-Kelun lung cancer drug cut tumor progression risk by 65%

Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

A type of targeted chemotherapy developed by China-based Kelun-Biotech and licensed to Merck cut the risk of tumor progression by 65% in patients with lung cancer, according to Phase 3 study results reported Thursday. 

A preliminary survival benefit favoring the Kelun-Merck drug, called sacituzumab tirumotecan, or sac-TMT, was also seen in the study, but will require longer follow-up to confirm.

The study, conducted in China, is the first successful combination of an antibody-drug conjugate with a PD-1-targeted immunotherapy in patients with advanced but previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer.