RAHWAY, N.J.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced topline results from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-585 trial, investigating KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by adjuvant treatment with KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy, then KEYTRUDA monotherapy in patients with locally advanced resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. At a pre-specified interim analysis conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee, the study met one of its primary endpoints of pathological complete response (pCR) rate and demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in pCR rates compared with chemotherapy alone.