Keytruda + chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment for advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma.- Merck Inc.,

IND.227 was sponsored by CCTG, in collaboration with investigators in Italy (co-sponsored by National Cancer Institute of Naples - NCIN), and France (co-sponsored by The French Cooperative Thoracic Intergroup - IFCT); Merck provided Keytruda and support for the trial. At the final analysis of the study, Keytruda plus chemotherapy showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS compared to chemotherapy alone in these patients. The safety profile of Keytruda in combination with chemotherapy in this study was consistent with previously reported studies. Results will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and discussed with regulatory authorities worldwide.

“Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rapidly progressing cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs and has a poor prognosis,” said Dr. Eliav Barr, senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. “Patients are in need of new treatments that can improve survival outcomes, and these positive results support the potential of Keytruda in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with the most common form of malignant mesothelioma.”

About IND.227/KEYNOTE-483 : IND.227/KEYNOTE-483 is a randomized, open-label, randomized Phase II/III trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02784171) sponsored and conducted by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) in collaboration with National Cancer Institute of Naples (NCIN) and Intergroupe Francophone de Cancérologie Thoracique (IFCT). Support for the trial was provided by Merck InNc.,. The trial evaluated Keytruda in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with unresected advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma. The primary endpoint of the study is OS, and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 modified for mesothelioma, safety and quality of life.

The Phase III part of the trial enrolled 440 patients who were randomized to receive:Keytruda (200 mg every three weeks for up to 35 cycles) in combination with pemetrexed (500 mg/m2 every three weeks for six cycles) and cisplatin (75 mg/m2 every three weeks for six cycles; carboplatin substitution was permitted), or Pemetrexed and cisplatin (carboplatin substitution was permitted) alone.

About the Canadian Cancer Trials Group : The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) is a cancer clinical trials research cooperative that runs phase I-III trials to test anti-cancer and supportive therapies at over 85 hospitals and cancer centres across Canada. From their operations centre at Queen's University, CCTG has supported more than 600 trials enrolling 100,000 patients from 40 countries on 6 continents through a global network of 20,000 investigators and clinical trial staff. CCTG is a national program of the Canadian Cancer Society and their aim is to improve survival and quality of life for all people with cancer. CCTG IND.227 was supported by a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) (707213). For further information, please visit the CCTG website: www.cctg.ca.