Merck announced on March 1 the voluntary withdrawal of the U.S. indication for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy and at least one other prior line of therapy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Jazz Pharmaceuticals and company partner PharmaMar’s Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) for adults with metastatic small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
The cancer treatment Imfinzi was shown to prolong survival in a particularly aggressive type of lung cancer by close to three months in a late-stage clinical trial, as AstraZeneca holds the British drugmaker’s ground in a crowded field against rival immunotherapy drugs.
