, Columnist
Merck's Edge on Bristol-Myers Won't Last
Its trial approach means Keytruda should lag Opdivo in the long run.
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Fortune favors the (statistically) bold.
Merck on Thursday reported its cancer drug Keytruda had succeeded in a clinical trial for treating newly diagnosed non-small lung cell cancer (NSLC) -- a market with more than a million new patients per year and the holy grail of immuno-oncology (IO) drugs, which use the immune system to fight cancer. Merck's results were so good the trial was stopped early to switch chemotherapy patients over to Keytruda.