Merck supports Peloton Therapeutics with positive kidney cancer data
Merck is revealing the data from a phase 2 study of a HIF-2α inhibitor after a year betting USD 1.05 billion on Peloton Therapeutics, and the deal is promising.
The drug limited tumour growth in 43% and shrank tumors in 28% of patients with kidney cancer linked to a specific genetic condition, giving hope to a patient group that must undergo multiple abdominal surgeries, and to kidney cancer patients more broadly as well.
Although the 28% response rate might seem less, Merck hopes to see the drug—MK-6482—work in more patients. Some of the trial patients have been taking the drug for 18...
