Phase Ib Trial Shows 40 Percent
of Patients Receiving Keytruda Alive
After 36-Month Follow Up

Long-term follow-up from a phase Ib trial in newly diagnosed and previously treated patients with advanced melanoma showed that 40 percent of patients were alive three years after starting Keytruda (pembrolizumab), with similar 36-month overall survival rates in both groups.

The study, KEYNOTE-001, will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Keytruda received accelerated approval from FDA in September 2014 for the treatment of advanced melanoma, based on data from KEYNOTE-001. Additional clinical studies, KEYNOTE-002 and KEYNOTE-006, have also shown a survival benefit with Keytruda in patients with advanced melanoma when compared with chemotherapy or Yervoy (ipilimumab), according to ASCO. Keytruda, a PD-1 inhibitor, is sponsored by Merck, which funded KEYNOTE-001.