Merck Pushes Keytruda into Perioperative NSCLC Setting with FDA Approval

The FDA on Monday approved the use of Merck’s blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in the perioperative setting for non-small cell lung cancer.

Under the updated label, Keytruda can now be given as neoadjuvant treatment in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, and then continued as an adjuvant monotherapy after surgery. This covers patients with resectable tumors that measure at least four centimeters or with node positivity.