BioCentury
ARTICLE | Top Story

BMS, Merck present PD-1 data in first-line NSCLC

October 10, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY) sank $5.62 (10%) to $49.81 on Monday, shedding $9.4 billion in market cap, after it and Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) each announced detailed data from Phase III studies of their PD-1 inhibitors as first-line treatments for non-small cell lung cancer. Data from both studies were presented Sunday at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting in Copenhagen.

While top-line results had already been announced for the CheckMate -026 trial of BMS's Opdivo nivolumab and the KEYNOTE-024 study of Merck's Keytruda pembrolizumab, new survival data suggest an advantage for Merck's program, although the results are not directly comparable. The studies included patient groups with different levels of PD-L1 expression. In addition, the use of different biomarker assays among different studies can complicate comparisons (see BioCentury, Aug. 22). ...