TOKYO, May 29, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that results from two trials evaluating LENVIMA, an orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor discovered by Eisai, plus KEYTRUDA, the anti-PD-1 therapy from Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A., will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program) from May 29 to 31, 2020. The two trials, Study 116/KEYNOTE-524 and Study 111/KEYNOTE-146, examined patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with no prior systemic therapy and patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who progressed following immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, respectively.

"The tumor response rates demonstrated with KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA in these studies underscore the potential of this combination regimen in certain types of hepatocellular and renal cell carcinoma," said Dr. Jonathan Cheng, Vice President, Oncology Clinical Research, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. Research Laboratories. "KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA is an important pillar of our broad oncology research program, and we continue to advance the study of the combination across multiple types of cancers and stages of disease."

"As data from our combination trials continue to read out, our enthusiasm for and belief in the potential of LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA are strengthened by the growing body of evidence observed in multiple advanced cancers," said Dr. Takashi Owa, Chief Medicine Creation and Chief Discovery Officer, Oncology Business Group at Eisai. "Our ongoing clinical study efforts on this combination exemplify our commitment to following the science and exploring possible solutions for patients affected by difficult-to-treat cancers."

Results from Study 116/KEYNOTE-524 (Abstract #4519) are being presented in a poster discussion session, and results from Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 (Abstract #5008) are being presented in an oral abstract session of the virtual scientific program of the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting.

For the full details, visit https://www.eisai.com/news/2020/pdf/enews202023pdf.pdf.

About Eisai

Eisai Co., Ltd. defines our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With approximately 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products to address unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through working with key stakeholders to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit https://www.eisai.com

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