Merck's Keytruda Wins European Approval For Post-Surgery Kidney Cancer

The European Commission has approved Merck & Co Inc's MRK Keytruda as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of adults with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

• Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer; about nine out of 10 kidney cancer diagnoses are RCCs. 
• The approval covers patients at increased risk of recurrence following nephrectomy or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions. 
• This approval is based on results from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-564 trial. Keytruda demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in disease-free survival (DFS), reducing the risk of disease recurrence or death by 32% compared to placebo.
• Price Action: MRK shares are down 0.11% at $79.05 during the premarket session on the last check Thursday.