FDA OKs Merck KEYTRUDA Monotherapy for Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer

Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy and at least one other prior line of therapy. This accelerated approval is based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. This marks the first indication for KEYTRUDA in SCLC.

“KEYTRUDA is already an established treatment option for non-small cell lung cancer, and today’s approval in small cell lung cancer demonstrates our commitment to bringing forward new treatment options for patients with advanced, difficult-to-treat cancers,” said Dr. Jonathan Cheng, vice president, oncology clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories. “We look forward to continuing to advance important clinical research in small cell lung cancer.”

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