ASCO: Merck, Eisai pad case for liver cancer nod with Keytruda-Lenvima combo data

Roche may have just grabbed the first FDA nod for a checkpoint inhibitor in previously untreated liver cancer, but Merck & Co. is hoping it won’t be far behind.

Ahead of this weekend’s virtual annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the New Jersey drugmaker touted results showing a combination of its immuno-oncology star Keytruda and kinase inhibitor Lenvima—a med it shares with Eisai—could spur a response in 36% of study patients.