Merck's sac-TMT shows promise in Chinese Phase 3 lung cancer trial, may replace chemo

Merck and its Chinese partner Kelun-Biotech reported that the antibody-drug conjugate sac-TMT slowed disease progression better than a standard chemotherapy regimen in a Phase 3 trial conducted in China.

The study enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have low PD-L1 expression, a group Merck calls a therapeutic bottleneck.

Analysts described the data as direct proof-of-concept and see sac-TMT as a potential cornerstone of future first-line treatment, possibly allowing patients to avoid chemotherapy.