Oct 10, 2016 08:17 PM EDT By Eileen De Santos, UniversityHerald Reporter

In a trial that was designed by Merck, a drug called pembrolizumab was used to treat patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study, titled "Pembrolizumab versus Chemotherapy for PD-L1 - Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer," showed results that the new drug is more effective by at least forty percent

The study that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed results for 1934 patients coming from 16 countries. The researchers used the Kaplan-Meier method for "estimate progression-free and overall survival."

ABC reported that Pembrolizuman, or more commonly known as Keytruda, was used in a number of cancer patients at Westmead Hospital. Associate Professor Rina Hui said that one of her patients who participated in the trial is now in remission, and she added that her patient is now living a normal life.

John Ward revealed that after his father was diagnosed with cancer, he was given only six months to live. After taking Pembrolizuman, according to Ward, it "reduced the cancer, given him a longer life." He also expressed that the treatment was not invasive, and there are no side effects such as hair loss and being "physically sick."

Ward's father, William Ward, stated that he had several spots in his lungs, but after taking Pembrolizuman, "it started to shrink." Needless to say, William's family is happy and satisfied about the results.

Medical Daily reported that the trial has its limitation. It was only designed for patients with non-small cell lung cancer that contains PD-L1, which is a protein that can block white blood cells from killing healthy cells in our body. The researchers said that at least 25 percent of patients with non-small cell lung cancer fits this criteria.

With the promising results of the study, there's a possibility that the FDA will approve Keytruda as a first-line treatment of lung cancer.

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