Immutep (ASX:IMM) said the combination of its eftilagimod alfa drug candidate with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda and chemotherapy generated strong objective response rates (ORR) and disease control rates (DCR) in 51 evaluable patients with advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, according to a Monday filing with the Australian bourse.

Based on data from the Insight-003 trial, the combination therapy achieved a nearly 62% ORR in 47 patients, up from the historical control of about 41%, the filing said.