(2)
KEYTRUDA Is First Checkpoint Inhibitor Approved in Europe to Treat MSI-H or dMMR Colorectal Cancer
European Approval Based on Results From KEYNOTE-177 Trial Demonstrating KEYTRUDA Significantly Reduced Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 40% Compared With Chemotherapy
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the European Commission has approved KEYTRUDA, Merck s anti-PD-1 therapy, as a monotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer. This approval is based on results from the pivotal Phase 3 KEYNOTE-177 trial, in which KEYTRUDA monotherapy significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 40% (HR=0.60 [95% CI, 0.45-0.80]; p=0.0002) compared with chemotherapy (investigator s choice: mFOLFOX6 [oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil (FU)] with or without bevacizumab or cetuximab; or FOLFIR