A combination of Merck & Co’s immunotherapy Keytruda and Pfizer Inc’s Inlyta helped patients with advanced kidney cancer live longer than those receiving and older Pfizer standalone therapy, according to data from a late-stage study presented on Saturday. Merck on Monday released interim data from the trial, saying the combination reduced the risk of death by 47% compared with Sutent. That therapy, currently considered a gold standard for previously untreated advanced kidney cancer patients, has shown a 67% survival rate after two years. A similar kidney cancer trial pitting Sutent against a combination of Inlyta and the immunotherapy Bavencio, sold by Pfizer and Germany’s Merck KGaA, was also presented at the meeting on Saturday. Inlyta is a newer chemotherapy than Sutent that is also approved to treat advanced kidney cancer.

Source: Hindustan Times February 17, 2019 06:00 UTC