Two more trial misses for Merck's $20 billion cancer giant

Two late-stage trials testing Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) class-leading immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) have been discontinued.

While Keytruda has led the way in the ground-breaking field of checkpoint inhibition, the product has not been without late-stage trial failures, an outcome which reflects the depth and breadth of the company’s clinical research investments.

The successes appear to justify such significant study costs, with the product consistently adding billions in additional revenue each year.