US pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb is struggling to keep up with its rival Merck & Co., after the clinical results of its study on immunotherapy drugs Opdivo and Yervoy did not show a statistical benefit. While the combination of Bristol-Myers' two drugs did help lung cancer patients live 2020 longer on average than just treating with chemotherapy, the 2,200-patient CheckMate-227 study did not reach the high bar set by Merck's Keytruda first-line treatment drug. Bristol-Myers' relative-risk reduction of 14% falls short of Keytruda's 51% reduced risk of death, giving Merck a 60% share of the metastatic lung cancer market.
US pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb is struggling to keep up with its rival Merck & Co., after the clinical results of its study on immunotherapy drugs Opdivo and Yervoy did not show a statistical benefit. While the combination of Bristol-Myers' two drugs did help lung cancer patients live three months longer on average than just treating with chemotherapy, the 2,200-patient CheckMate-227 study did not reach the high bar set by Merck's Keytruda first-line treatment drug. Bristol-Myers' relative-risk reduction of 14% falls short of Keytruda's 51% reduced risk of death, giving Merck a 60% share of the metastatic lung cancer market.