Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has discontinued the clinical development programs for vibostolimab, an anti-TIGIT antibody, and favezelimab, an anti-LAG-3 antibody, following underwhelming Phase III data.
 
Vibostolimab was evaluated as an investigational fixed-dose combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) in the KeyVibe program, while Favezelimab was evaluated as an investigational fixed-dose combination with pembrolizumab in the KEYFORM program.
 
The decision to discontinue vibostolimab was based on the results of the KeyVibe-003 and KeyVibe-007 trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which failed to meet the primary endpoint of overall survival.
 
The decision to discontinue favezelimab was based on a thorough evaluation of data from the entire clinical program, including the ongoing Phase 3 KEYFORM-008 trial in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
 
While both drugs were generally well-tolerated, the lack of significant efficacy led Merck to prioritize other promising oncology candidates in its pipeline.
 
“Following a careful analysis of the data, the decision has been made to discontinue development of these candidates to prioritize other ongoing programs. We are grateful to all the patients, caregivers and investigators for their many contributions that made these studies possible,” said Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories. “We continue to pursue the most promising science with a focus on agents with the greatest potential to improve outcomes for more patients with cancer.”