The Food and Drug Administration today approved Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck's best-selling cancer drug Keytruda for additional indications.
The drug, currently used for the treatment of melanoma and lung cancer, is now also approved for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy.
The FDA approved the drug's new indication based on data from a recent clinical trial involving 192 patients that showed positive tumor response rates to the treatment.
Keytruda is an immunotherapy drug that stimulates the body's immune system to detect and kill cancer cells.
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