Keytruda reduces the risk of death compared to chemotherapy

compared to chemotherapy, Merck's Pembrolizumab was used in patients with advanced esophageal or esophageal gastric junction cancer previously treated with tumors called PD-L1, which reduced the risk of death by 31%.KEYNOTE-181, a Phase III trial of Merck's Keytruda, found that the drug reached its primary endpoint by significantly improving the total survival time (OS) of patients with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma, who developed after standard treatment and whose tumors showed up as PD-L1.Successful results showed a 31% lower risk of death compared to chemotherapy, the first time anti-PD-1 therapy has proven that the patient group benefited from survival.In patients with tumors that showed PD-L1 in the study, the median survival time in the Keytruda group was 9.3 months, while the median survival in the chemotherapy group was 6.7 months.“ For patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the prognosis is poor, and for those who have experienced progression, there is no established standard of care, emphasizing the need for improved treatment in second-line treatment," said Takashi Kojima, Ph.D., Professor of Gastroenterology and Gastroenterology, Park City National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan.He continued, "Keytruda's observed significant improvement in overall survival rates in patients with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma, with tumors showing PD-L1 and CPS of 10 or higher, represents an important scientific advance and currently has the potential to benefit patients with limited treatment options." DatakeyNOTE-181 study will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies for review. (China Pharmaceutical 123 Network)