Merck, Eisai Renal Cell Cancer Drug Combination Gets US FDA Approval

07:35 AM EDT, 09/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Merck's (MRK) Welireg and in combination with Eisai's Lenvai has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma, the company said Friday. The specific indication is for those patients with a clear cell component after a programmed death receptor-1 or programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitor, the company said. The approval is based on data from a phase 3 trial which showed the drug combo led to a 26% reduction in risk of disease progression or death compared with cabozantinib, it said. It also resulted in progression-free survival of 14.6 months versus 10.6 months with cabozantinib, the company said. Advanced renal cell carcinoma is an aggressive form of kidney cancer which spreads to the bones and other organs.