So -- Just As We Said In June 2024 -- The Summit Data Is Interesting, But Is Immaterial To Keytruda's Overall Gaping Leads, Over Ivonescimab.

This should probably have an immateriality graphic run alongside it. Y A W N. [Here's our June 2, 2024 item on it, as background.]

Summit has some nice data out today, but the "on paper" progression free survival data, probably exaggerates the real world lived experience. Keytruda now posts over eight months, on PFS, in post market data pulls, in this lung cancer. So, Summit's comparative small sample size 11 months. . . probably doesn't amount to too much, once real world, post market, larger data sets are assembled in a year or two. But we shall see.

Pembrolizumab. . . the juggernaut, will roll onward, into the 2030s. Here's the latest, though -- with a likely overreaction to the news, appearing on the NYSE -- in MRK stock prices, this morning (some unsophisticated people see this as more negative for Merck than it actually is):

. . .Sunday, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) released data from the primary analysis of the Phase 3 HARMONi-2 trial of ivonescimab conducted in China, sponsored by collaboration partner Akeso, Inc.

The data was presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

The trial evaluated monotherapy ivonescimab against monotherapy Merck & Co Inc’s (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have positive PD-L1 expression. . . .

Now you know. And here by mid-morning, Merck is near back to even-steven, on the NYSE. Hilarious. Onward.

नमस्ते