---
title: "BUZZ-Merck rises after partner Kelun-Biotech reports positive Keytruda lung cancer study"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/292768226.md"
datetime: "2026-07-15T12:38:21.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/292768226.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/292768226.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/292768226.md)
---

# BUZZ-Merck rises after partner Kelun-Biotech reports positive Keytruda lung cancer study

(Updates) Shares of drugmaker Merck (MRK.N) gains 2.59% to $123.91 premarket

Partner Kelun-Biotech on Tuesday said a late-stage study of its experimental cancer drug sac-TMT in combination with Merck’s Keytruda met the main goal in first-line advanced lung cancer patients whose tumors lacked PD-L1 expression

Kelun says the combination helped patients live longer without their disease worsening versus Keytruda plus chemotherapy and showed a positive trend toward overall survival

The study is the first late-stage trial of an antibody-drug conjugate and immunotherapy combination to meet its main goal in this first-line lung cancer setting, according to Kelun

The data support the potential for sac-TMT plus Keytruda to challenge current standard-of-care regimens across a broader first-line lung cancer population - Leerink Partners analyst Akash Tewari

Separately, MRK on Wednesday said its cancer drug Keytruda met the main goal in a late-stage study in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

As of last close, stock up ~15% YTD

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