The research may inform the use of a liquid biopsy assay for tracking SMM progression that improves on bone marrow aspirate analysis and is easier for patients to access.
The European Commission approved Merck's PD-1 inhibitor as a frontline therapy for this patient population based on the results of the Keynote-177 trial.
A data safety monitoring committee said the trial, exploring the first-line activity of bintrafusp against Keytruda in PD-L1-high, advanced NSCLC, wouldn't meet its primary endpoint.