Merck’s Keytruda flunks pivotal studies in early-stage lung and skin cancers

A Merck & Co. effort to move its PD-1 behemoth Keytruda into early treatment of lung cancer has reached a dead end, along with another bid to expand into a type of early-stage skin cancer.

Merck has decided to stop the phase 3 KEYNOTE-867 trial for Keytruda in inoperable stage 1 or 2 non-small cell lung cancer, the company said Thursday.