Merck rises as Keytruda meets main goal in late-stage uterine cancer trial

Shares of drugmaker Merck MRK.N rose 1.4% to $122.50 premarket after the company said its cancer drug Keytruda met the main goal in a late-stage trial of patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, a cancer that starts in the lining of the uterus.

Merck said Keytruda helped patients with dMMR tumors, a genetic feature that makes it harder for cells to repair DNA damage, live longer without their disease worsening versus chemotherapy.

The company said Keytruda is the first immunotherapy to show better progression-free survival than carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy in this patient group. Early data also showed a trend toward improved overall survival, though results are not yet final.

Merck said it plans to discuss the data with regulators and present detailed results at a medical meeting.

As of the last close, the stock was up about 15% year to date.