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Recruiting Phase 2 NCT06780098

NCT06780098 Substudy 01I: A Study of Investigational Agents in Participants With Previously Treated Stage IV Squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (MK-3475-01I/KEYMAKER-U01I)

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Clinical Trial Summary
NCT ID NCT06780098
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 2
Sponsor Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Condition Lung Neoplasm
Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment 144 participants
Start Date 2025-05-28
Primary Completion 2032-03-02

Eligibility & Interventions

Sex All sexes
Min Age 18 Years
Max Age N/A
Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
Interventions
R-DXDI-DXDDocetaxel

Eligibility Fast-Check

Enter your details for a quick preliminary check. This does not replace medical advice.

What to Expect as a Participant

You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.

In Phase 2, researchers evaluate early signs of effectiveness. You may be randomized to receive the active treatment or a comparator. Monitoring continues closely.

This trial targets 144 participants in total. It began in 2025-05-28 with a primary completion date of 2032-03-02.

⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

Brief Summary

Researchers are looking for other ways to treat metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Squamous NSCLC is cancer that starts in squamous cells, which are flat cells that line the inside of the airways in the lungs. Metastatic means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Standard treatment (usual treatment) for metastatic squamous NSCLC is immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is a treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer. Chemotherapy is medicine that destroys cancer cells or stops them from growing. However, standard treatment may not work or may stop working to treat metastatic squamous NSCLC. Researchers want to learn if study treatments that are antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) can treat metastatic squamous NSCLC that did not respond (get smaller or go away) to standard treatment. An ADC attaches to a protein on cancer cells and delivers treatment to destroy those cells. The main goals of this study are to learn about: * The cancer response to the study treatments compared to chemotherapy * The safety of the study treatments and if people tolerate them This study is one of the substudies being conducted under one pembrolizumab umbrella master protocol (MK-3475-U01/KEYMAKER-U01).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: The main inclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of Stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) * Has documented disease progression per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors 1.1 (RECIST 1.1), as assessed by investigator after receiving an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) treatment and platinum-based chemotherapy for Stage IV disease * Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected participants must have well controlled HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) * Participants who are Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive are eligible if they have received Hepatitis B virus (HBV) antiviral therapy for at least 4 weeks, and have undetectable HBV viral load * Participants with history of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are eligible if HCV viral load is undetectable Exclusion Criteria: The main exclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Diagnosis of small cell lung cancer or, for mixed tumors, presence of small cell elements * Has uncontrolled or significant cardiovascular disorder * Clinically severe pulmonary compromise resulting from intercurrent pulmonary illnesses including, but not limited to, any underlying pulmonary disorder (ie, pulmonary emboli within 3 months, severe asthma, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, restrictive lung disease, pleural effusion, etc), or any autoimmune, connective tissue, or inflammatory disorders with pulmonary involvement (ie, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, sarcoidosis, etc), or prior pneumonectomy * Participants who have adverse events (AEs) (other than alopecia) due to previous anticancer therapies must have recovered to ≤Grade 1 or baseline * Has clinically significant corneal disease * Has previously received docetaxel as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies * Known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment within the past 3 years * Has known untreated central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis * Evidence of any leptomeningeal disease * Has one or more of the following indicators of interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis: any history of ILD/pneumonitis irrespective of steroid use (except for a history of radiation pneumonitis that did not require steroids), current diagnosis of ILD, clinical or radiographic suspicion of ILD * Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years. Replacement therapy (eg, thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid) is allowed * Active infection requiring systemic therapy * HIV-infected participants with a history of Kaposi's sarcoma and/or Multicentric Castleman's Disease * Active inflammatory bowel disease requiring immunosuppressive medication or previous clear history of inflammatory bowel disease (eg, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or chronic diarrhea) * Known history of, or active, neurologic paraneoplastic syndrome * History of allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant * Has not adequately recovered from major surgery or have ongoing surgical complications

Contact & Investigator

Central Contact

Toll Free Number

✉ Trialsites@msd.com

📞 1-888-577-8839

Principal Investigator

Medical Director

STUDY DIRECTOR

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can join the NCT06780098 clinical trial?

This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 18 Years or older, studying Lung Neoplasm. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.

What phase is the NCT06780098 trial and what does that mean for participants?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether the treatment shows signs of effectiveness while continuing to monitor safety. More participants are enrolled than in Phase 1 to help refine the treatment protocol.

Is NCT06780098 currently recruiting?

Yes, NCT06780098 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at Trialsites@msd.com for enrollment information.

Where is the NCT06780098 trial being conducted?

This trial is being conducted at Lexington, United States, Baltimore, United States, Dallas, United States, Santiago, Chile and 11 additional locations.

Who is sponsoring the NCT06780098 clinical trial?

NCT06780098 is sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. The principal investigator is Medical Director at Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. The trial plans to enroll 144 participants.

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ClinicalMetric — Independent clinical trial intelligence platform. Not affiliated with NIH, ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. FDA, or any pharmaceutical company, hospital, or clinical research organization. Trial data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Do not make any treatment, enrollment, or health decisions based solely on information found here — always consult a qualified healthcare professional. Full Disclaimer  ·  Last Reviewed: July 2026  ·  Data Methodology