Health
European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) as Part of a Treatment Regimen for Adults with Resectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) Expressing PD-L1 (CPS >1)
RAHWAY, N.J., October 29, 2025--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) as neoadjuvant treatment, continued as adjuvant treatment in combination with radiation therapy with or without concomitant cisplatin and then as monotherapy in adul
About this update from Merck & Company, Inc.
[{"type":"image","alt":"","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"","credit":null,"className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":480,"height":217,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/03d796e4a38e8541627ace53344f8c22"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pKvQlLwi3jdtHoPf_rNi1w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQzNDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/03d796e4a38e8541627ace53344f8c22","width":480,"height":217}},"lazy":false},{"type":"text","content":"KEYTRUDA monotherapy now approved as neoadjuvant treatment, continued as adjuvant treatment combined with radiotherapy with or without concomitant cisplatin then as monotherapy","length":176,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"Based on results of KEYNOTE-689, this represents the first and only approval in the European Union for an anti-PD-1 treatment option for adults with resectable LA-HNSCC whose tumors express PD-L1 (CPS >1)","length":207,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"RAHWAY, N.J., October 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) as neoadjuvant treatment, continued as adjuvant treatment in combination with radiation therapy with or without concomitant cisplatin and then as monotherapy in adults whose tumors express PD-L1 with a Combined Positive Score (CPS) ≥1. This approval marks the first and only anti-PD-1 treatment option for certain patients with resectable LA-HNSCC in the European Union (EU) and the third approval for KEYTRUDA in HNSCC in the EU.","length":782,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""This approval brings a promising advancement to patients in Europe with resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma," said Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories. "We’re proud of the continued progress we’re making to broaden the impact of KEYTRUDA in head and neck cancers and remain focused on working to deliver innovative approaches that have the potential to make a meaningful dif...