FDA Approves Keytruda for Certain Mesothelioma Patients

Patients with pleural mesothelioma cancer may have another treatment option after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of pembrolizumab for certain metastatic tumors this week. Pembrolizumab, often known by the brand name Keytruda, is a well-known immunotherapy drug already being used with mixed success for several cancers. This latest FDA approval is for the treatment of adult and pediatric cancers with unresectable disease and high mutational burden that have progressed following prior treatment and have no alternative treatment options. A number of mesothelioma patients already are being treated with pembrolizumab in clinical trials or under special access programs through manufacturer Merck & Co., the pharmaceutical giant. Keytruda has been especially effective for some, but only for a small percentage of mesothelioma patients. Mesothelioma specialists have been finding varied success when using it in combination with other therapies. “It can be used for mesothelioma, but it’s not the magic bullet,” Dr. Raja Flores, mesothelioma specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “Its overall effectiveness is modest at best. Surgery remains the single most effective treatment for diminishing tumor volume.” Previous Keytruda Results Have Been Mixed This week’s approval is based upon findings from an ongoing clinical trial exploring the use of pembrolizumab as a tumor inhibitor for patients expressi...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news