Merck announced new data evaluating Keytruda, an anti-PD-1 therapy, in advanced non-small cell lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Merck announced that new data evaluating Keytruda (pembrolizumab), the company’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in both advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma will be presented as part of the Clinical Trials Plenary Session on Sunday, April 19 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 18 – 22.

The NSCLC data will be the first presentation of new efficacy and safety findings for Keytruda from 495 patients, including validation of PD-L1 expression (abstract #CT104). These data are from the largest, multi-center Phase 1b (KEYNOTE-001) study of an anti-PD-1 therapy. With the mesothelioma findings (abstract #CT103), data evaluating Keytruda will have been presented in eight different types of cancer.

“Our clinical program is investigating the potential of Keytruda in a broad range of cancers where innovative approaches are truly needed – these data to be presented at AACR illustrate this effort,” said Dr. Roger Dansey, senior vice president, Late-Stage Oncology Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories. “At AACR, we look forward to sharing new data for Keytruda across a range of challenging cancer types, especially in non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.”

Presentations of Merck Oncology Compounds

In total, data from 14 abstracts evaluating Keytruda or MK-8628 (OTX015), Merck’s investigational BET-bromodomain inhibitor, will be presented at AACR 2015. Pre-clinical and early phase data to be presented span multiple tumor types – such as prostate cancer, blood cancer and NSCLC. A full listing of abstracts included in the 2015 AACR program is below:

Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

  • (Abstract #CT104) Late-Breaker Presentation: Efficacy
    of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) and relationship with PD-L1 expression in
    patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Findings from
    KEYNOTE-001.     E. Garon. Sunday, April 19, 1:05 PM EDT. Location:
    Terrace Ballroom I (400 Level).
  • (Abstract #CT103) Late-Breaker Presentation: Clinical
    safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in patients with
    malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM): Preliminary results from
    KEYNOTE-028.     E. Alley. Sunday, April 19, 12:45 PM EDT. Location:
    Terrace Ballroom I (400 Level).
  • (Abstract #256) Poster Presentation: Identification
    of additional cancers likely to respond to anti-PD-1 therapy
    (pembrolizumab): Evaluation of PD-L1 expression in a large molecular
    tumor profiling gene expression database.     M. Ayers. Sunday, April
    19, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 12.
  • (Abstract #269) Poster Presentation: Evaluation of
    the antitumor activity of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy as a single agent
    and in combination with approved agents in preclinical tumor models.     E.
    Pinheiro. Sunday, April 19, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 12.
  • (Abstract #570) Poster Presentation: PD-L1 expression
    in paired non-small cell lung cancer tumor samples.     J. Kim.
    Sunday, April 19, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 24.
  • (Abstract #1307) Poster Presentation: Assessment of
    gene expression in peripheral blood from patients with advanced
    melanoma using RNA-seq before and after treatment with anti-PD-1
    therapy with pembrolizumab (MK-3475).     M. Ayers. Monday, April 20,
    8:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 12.
  • (Abstract #1328) Poster Presentation: Molecular
    characterization of mouse syngeneic tumor models in response to
    treatment with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.     H. Hirsch. Monday, April
    20, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 12.
  • (Abstract #4303) Poster Presentation: Programmed
    death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in paired melanoma tumor samples.     T.
    Steiniche. Tuesday, April 21, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT. Location: Section
    25.

MK-8628 (OTX015)

  • (Abstract #2625) Poster Presentation: Targeting
    prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs) with the novel BET bromodomain (BRD)
    protein inhibitor OTX015.     G. Civenni. Monday, April 20, 1:00
    PM-5:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 30.
  • (Abstract #3526) Poster Presentation: OTX015 effects
    in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models are independent of
    hypoxia conditions and synergistic with other anticancer agents.     R.
    Vazquez. Tuesday, April 21, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT. Location: Section 28.
  • (Abstract #3527) Poster Presentation: OTX015, a novel
    BET-bromodomain (BET-BRD) inhibitor, displays antitumoral effects in
    orthotopic and heterotopic models of human glioblastoma.     L.
    Astorgues-xerri. Tuesday, April 21, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT. Location:
    Section 28.
  • (Abstract #3530) Poster Presentation: Gene expression
    profile of OTX015, a BET bromodomain inhibitor, in preclinical models
    of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer
    (SCLC) models.     M. Riveiro. Tuesday, April 21, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
    EDT. Location: Section 28.
  • (Abstract #4511) Poster Presentation: Pharmacokinetics
    of OTX015 in a phase Ib dose-finding study of patients with
    hematologic malignancies: Preliminary results of a population PK
    analysis.     E. Odore. Tuesday, April 21, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT.
    Location: Section 32.
  • (Abstract #4731) Minisymposium: Targeting
    super-enhancer induced gene expression with the novel BRD4 inhibitor
    OTX015 in preclinical models of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.     A.
    Henssen. Tuesday, April 21, 3:50 PM – 4:05 PM EDT. Location: Room 120.

For more information including a complete list of abstract titles, please visit the AACR website at http://www.aacr.org.