Merck gets positive EMA Committee opinion for Keytruda, chemotherapy combo for Resectable non-small cell lung cancer

The recommendation is based on results from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-671 trial, in which neoadjuvant KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant KEYTRUDA as a single agent after surgical resection demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in overall survival and event-free survival, the study’s dual primary endpoints, versus neoadjuvant placebo plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant placebo in these patients. Key eligibility criteria for KEYNOTE-671 included: patients with previously untreated and resectable NSCLC at high risk of recurrence (stage II, IIIA, or IIIB [N2] by American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition), regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression. The CHMP’s recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission for marketing authorization in the European Union (EU), and a final decision is expected in the first half of 2024.

“The CHMP’s positive opinion puts us another step closer to helping certain patients in Europe with earlier stages of non-small cell lung cancer, regardless of PD-L1 expression,” said Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories. “We look forward to the European Commission’s decision, as we continue to build on the legacy of KEYTRUDA in certain types of lung cancer and pursue meaningful advances that may help extend the lives of patients.”

In October 2023, KEYTRUDA was approved in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with resectable (tumors ≥4 cm or node positive) NSCLC in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, and then continued as a single agent as adjuvant treatment after surgery.