(AOF) – The American laboratory Merck and its Japanese partner Eisai declared this Friday that a combination of their anticancer therapies failed to prolong the lives of patients in two late-stage studies testing them as a treatment for a type of cancer of the lung. The combination of Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda, and Eisai’s Lenvima has already failed in studies evaluating it in patients with head and neck cancer, skin cancer and cancer. of the colon.
The trial results announced Friday will not impact other ongoing studies or current approvals of the combination. Keytruda is approved in the United States, Japan, and the European Union for the treatment of a type of kidney cancer and certain types of cancers of the lining of the uterus.
AOF – LEARN MORE
Learn more about the Pharmacy sector
Biotechs put to the test
These companies are suffering from a much less favorable economic cycle, which is reflected in particular by a drop in venture capital financing of start-ups. These companies are therefore obliged to carry out layoff plans. Added to this is a much more restrictive regulatory framework. First, in the United States, measures linked to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could have a strong impact on the margins of stakeholders. Indeed, from 2026, the federal Medicare program will be able to renegotiate the price of drugs marketed for nine years (chemical) or 13 years (biological), with discounts that could range from 35 to 60% for biotechs. Likewise, in Europe, with the new drug regulations presented in Brussels in April, the duration of patent protection will be reduced if the innovative treatment is not marketed in all member countries within two years.