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Merck & Co Cancer Chief Reflects on 'Foundational' Keytruda

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Roger Dansey, head of Merck's clinical development in oncology, tells Scrip that the Keynote clinical program for the blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor continues to hit endpoints across diseases and there is much more to come.

Juggling
Merck successfully juggling Keytruda projects • Source: Shutterstock

It is only three years ago that Merck & Co. Inc. got its first approval for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in melanoma and data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress in Madrid has highlighted how dominant the PD-1 inhibitor has become in such a short space of time.

Speaking to Scrip at the congress, Roger Dansey, head of the company’s clinical development in oncology, noted the huge amount of trials looking at Keytruda and possible combinations, pointing out that there are in excess in 500 studies listed on clinicaltrials.gov and the company itself is running over 40 registration trials

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