By Stephen Nakrosis

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) on Monday said results from a Phase 3 KEYNOTE-119 trial evaluating Keytruda as monotherapy for some breast cancer patients didn't meet its pre-specified primary endpoint of superior overall survival compared to chemotherapy.

The company said the study evaluated Keytruda as monotherapy for the second- or third-line treatment of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Roy Baynes, senior vice president and head of global clinical development, chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories, said "While we are disappointed by the outcome of this monotherapy trial, we are continuing to study Keytruda in earlier stages of the disease and in combination with chemotherapy to address the unmet medical need of patients with triple negative breast cancer."

Merck said the drug's safety profile was consistent with that observed in previous studies of patients treated with Keytruda monotherapy and no new safety concerns were identified.

Results will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting, Merck said.

--Write to Stephen Nakrosis at stephen.nakrosis@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 20, 2019 17:09 ET (21:09 GMT)

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