A new hope for patients with deadly malignant melanoma using a combined treatment of novel drugs

New study combining Incyte’s immune-oncology drug Epacadostat and Merck’s Keytruda cancer treatment in patients with advanced melanoma (deadly skin cancer) showed increased effectiveness.

A combination of Incyte’s oral pill and Merck’s injectable medicine shrank metastatic melanoma tumors, or caused the tumors to disappear, in 56 percent of the 65 patients in the Phase 1-2 study. With Keytruda alone, tumors shrank or disappeared in 33 percent of patients, based on Merck’s past studies.

Among other findings presented at the ESMO 2017 meeting in Spain last week were that the advanced melanoma did not progress, or get worse, in half the patients given Epacadostat plus Keytruda for 12.4 months. The disease progressed within four months to six months with Keytruda alone.

Among patients who had no previous treatment for advanced melanoma, the disease did not progress for up to 22.8 months when the patients were given the Merck-Incyte drug combination.

As far as adverse side effects, the most serious were rashes, elevated liver enzymes, fatigue, and body aches and pains in about 20 percent of the patients. With Keytruda

Merck and Incyte have initiated a large Phase 3 study with 700 patients, in which half are taking only Keytruda and the other half the combination Keytruda-Epacadostat. The study will conclude next May.