blockbuster drug Keytruda met the main goal of a late-stage trial testing the treatment in patients with cancers of the digestive tract, the U.S. drugmaker said on Wednesday. US pharmaceutical company Merck has successfully completed a late - stage trial for its new drug , which has enabled patients with oesophageal cancer to live longer . Keytruda , a PD-1 inhibitor that blocks a tumour 's ability to avoid detection by cancer - fighting cells , is already approved for the treatment of several cancers , including breast and lung cancer . Oesophageal cancer is the seventh most common type found throughout the world .
US pharmaceutical company Merck has successfully completed a late - stage trial for its new drug , which has enabled patients with oesophageal cancer to live longer . Keytruda , a PD-1 inhibitor that blocks a tumour 's ability to avoid detection by cancer - fighting cells , is already approved for the treatment of several cancers , including breast and lung cancer . Oesophageal cancer is the seventh most common type found throughout the world .