According to a statement from MSD, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the anti-PD-1 drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) from MSD for the treatment of metastatic, persistent, or recurrent cervical cancer in people whose tumours express PD-L1 with a CPS 1.

Additionally, Keytruda has been approved for the first-line therapy of adults with locally advanced, unresectable, metastatic, or HER-2-negative gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma or esophageal carcinoma whose tumours express PD-L1 with a CPS of 10. The company added that the results of the phase-III Keynote 590 and 826 studies for esophageal and cervical cancer, respectively, served as the foundation for the approval.

Earlier in the company statement, it was pointed out that keytruda is the first immunotherapy to be approved as a first-line treatment for esophageal cancer, particularly for a sizable subgroup of patients who would otherwise only have had access to chemotherapy.