Keytruda Approved as First-Line Treatment for Colorectal Cancer

The FDA has approved Merck’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line immunotherapy for certain patients with colorectal cancer.

The patients with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) tumors account for approximately 5 percent of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The MSI-H and dMMR tumors contain abnormalities that affect the proper repair of DNA inside the cell.

The approval was based on trial results showing that patients treated with Keytruda demonstrated a progression-free survival of 16.5 months compared to 8.2 months for those who received chemotherapy.