# The companies tested Merck's Keytruda and Eisai's Lenvima as a first-line treatment for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

*biotech · news · 2026-04-21 · Reuters*

## Key points

- Merck and Eisai's new drug combinations did not outperform Keytruda-Lenvima for kidney cancer.
- Neither the Welireg nor the MK-1308A combinations met the study's two main efficacy goals.
- The trial setback derails a near-term approval path for Welireg in first-line kidney cancer.
- The safety profiles of the tested combinations matched previous studies without new safety concerns.
- Analysts now question Welireg's previously projected peak sales potential beyond $2 billion.

**Companies:** Merck, Eisai
**Countries:** United States, Japan, India

[Read the full story on Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/merck-eisais-combination-cancer-therapy-fails-meet-main-goals-late-stage-study-2026-04-21/)

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