Daiichi Sankyo-Merck's 'guided-missile' cancer drug meets main goal in late-stage trial

(Reuters) -Daiichi Sankyo and Merck said on Tuesday that their drug, patritumab deruxtecan, met the main goal of extending the time some patients with a form of lung cancer lived without their disease progressing in a late-stage study.

The trial, involving 586 patients, tested the drug against chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had a specific gene mutation leading to abnormal cell growth.

The treatment is one of three antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) included in Merck's up to $22-billion joint development and commercialization deal with Daiichi Sankyo, signed last year.

ADCs are targeted cancer therapies that combine a monoclonal antibody with a cell-killing toxin and function like a "guided missile" against tumor cells while sparing healthy ones.

In the current study, the drug was tested in patients previously treated with a class of drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), which target mutations in specific proteins in the body that lead to unchecked cell growth.

TKIs have transformed cancer treatment, turning many cases from death sentences into manageable conditions.

However, patients may eventually develop resistance or experience intolerable side effects, necessitating alternative treatments.

The companies said they plan to present data from the trial at an upcoming medical meeting and share it with global regulatory authorities to discuss the next steps.

NSCLC accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancers worldwide, with the specific gene mutation occurring in 14% to 38% of these tumors, according to company estimates.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)