Incyte, Merck report additional Phase III data of epacadostat combo for melanoma

Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ:INCY) and partner Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) reported additional data from the Phase III ECHO-301/KEYNOTE-252 trial to treat melanoma showing that first-line treatment with epacadostat plus PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda pembrolizumab led to a median progression-free survival (PFS), the primary endpoint, of 4.7 months vs. 4.9 months for Keytruda alone (HR=1, p=0.517) at a median follow-up of about 14 months. The data were released in an abstract ahead of the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. Incyte's epacadostat is an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitor (see BioCentury, June 16, 2017).

In April, Incyte and Merck said they would stop the double-blind, international trial after twice-daily 100 mg oral epacadostat plus Keytruda missed the primary endpoint. The trial enrolled 706 patients with stage III/IV unresectable or metastatic melanoma (see BioCentury, April 13)...