Merck's Keytruda shows promise in treating advanced melanoma

Merck & Co Inc said long-term data from its cancer immunotherapy Keytruda showed promise in treating advanced melanoma patients, a day after announcing positive lung cancer data from the same treatment.

The drug stopped the progression of advanced melanoma in nearly 90 percent of patients who had taken it for two years, Merck said, adding that the findings were from a new analysis of four-year data of a late-stage study.

Keytruda already has U.S. approval for treatment of certain types of lung cancer, gastric cancer and other forms of the disease and competes with Bristol-Myers’ Opdivo.

The data is being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.