Keytruda claims 14th approval

Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has now been approved in a remarkable 14 indications.

On Friday, the pharma giant announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the anti-PD-1 therapy for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib, a drug from Germany’s Bayer (BAYN: DE) that is marketed under the name Nexavar.

This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response, so it will be dependent on the confirmatory trials delivering positive data.