Merck Serono NSCLC vaccine candidate fails to meet primary endpoint in Ph III

Merck Serono, a division of Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE), Darmstadt, says that the Phase III START trial of its investigational vaccine product L-BLP25 (formerly referred to as Stimuvax) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) did not meet its primary endpoint to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS).

However, the company notes, despite not meeting the primary endpoint, notable treatment effects were seen for L-BLP25 in certain subgroups. Nevertheless, Merck’s shares fell 3.1% to 98.20 euros following the announcement yesterday morning.