Keytruda nets new EC approval

The European Commission (EC) has given the green light to another use of Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) multi-indication immuno-oncology drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab), this time for the treatment of certain patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer.

The US pharma giant’s anti-PD-1 therapy has now been approved for use as monotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in adults who have received prior platinum-containing chemotherapy, as well as adults who are not eligible for cisplatin-containing chemotherapy.

Ronald de Wit, group leader for experimental systemic therapy of urogenital cancers at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in the Netherlands, said: “Despite advances, there remain limited treatment options available to patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are either not eligible to receive cisplatin-containing chemotherapy – which is platinum-based and currently the standard of care – or for those patients whose cancer returns after receiving prior platinum-containing chemotherapy.