By Colin Kellaher

Merck & Co. on Thursday said the European Commission approved expanded use of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of certain renal cell carcinoma patients following surgery.

The Kenilworth, N.J., drugmaker said the approval covers adults with renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, who are at increased risk of recurrence following nephrectomy, or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions.

Merck said the approval is based on results from a Phase 3 study in which Keytruda showed a statistically significant improvement in disease-free survival, reducing the risk of disease recurrence or death by 32% compared with placebo.

Keytruda, a cancer drug that harnesses a patient's immune system to fight tumors, is approved in dozens of indications around the world.

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 27, 2022 07:31 ET (12:31 GMT)

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