By Colin Kellaher

Merck & Co. said the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended expanded approval of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda in certain patients with a rare cancer of the lining around the lungs.

The Rahway, N.J., drugmaker on Friday said the recommendation covers Keytruda in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy as a first-line treatment of adults with unresectable non-epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The European Commission, which generally follows CHMP's advice, will now review the recommendation, with a decision expected by the end of the year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Keytruda combination in malignant pleural mesothelioma in September.

Keytruda, a cancer drug that harnesses a patient's immune system to fight tumors, is approved in dozens of indications worldwide and generated sales of more than $21 billion in the first nine months of 2024.

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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2024 07:54 ET (12:54 GMT)

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