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Merck, Daiichi Sankyo withdraw US application for lung cancer therapy

By Thomson Reuters Sep 25, 2026 | 3:38 PM

Sept 25 (Reuters) – Merck and Daiichi Sankyo have voluntarily withdrawn ​their US ‌application seeking accelerated approval for their experimental lung cancer therapy, the ‌companies ​said ⁠on Friday.

The decision ⁠followed discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration, which ​determined that the data from ⁠a mid-stage ⁠clinical study did ​not satisfy requirements ​needed to support an ‌early green light.

The therapy, called ifinatamab deruxtecan, was under ⁠review to treat adults with an aggressive condition ⁠known ‌as extensive-stage small ⁠cell lung ​cancer ‌whose disease had ​worsened after ⁠standard chemotherapy.

(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shilpi ​Majumdar)