Keytruda with Chemo Approved for Lung Cancer

FDA has approved Merck’s Keytruda in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Approval was based on data from the KEYNOTE-407 trial, which showed that Keytruda’s combination use with chemotherapy (carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel) significantly improved overall survival, reducing the risk of death by 36% compared to chemotherapy alone.

Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur with Keytruda, including pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis, severe skin reactions, solid organ transplant rejection, and complications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, according to the company. “Based on the severity of the adverse reaction, Keytruda should be withheld or discontinued and corticosteroids administered if appropriate,” it says.