A phase 3 abstract ahead of ASCO 2026 showed Merck’s sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) plus Keytruda reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 65% versus Keytruda alone in a randomized first-line study of PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer. In the OptiTROP-Lung05 trial conducted in China, median PFS was not reached in the combination arm after a median follow-up of 10.5 months, compared with 5.7 months for Keytruda. The study reported high separation for progression outcomes with a p-value below 0.0001. A preliminary survival signal also favored the combination, though overall survival results were not mature at the Sept. 29, 2025 data cutoff. Discontinuation rates were lower or comparable to the Keytruda control arm. The readout matters commercially and clinically because it places a TROP2-directed ADC plus PD-1 therapy squarely into the frontline NSCLC competition—alongside PD-(L)1xVEGF bispecific approaches already moving toward approvals.