Merck said Keytruda (pembrolizumab), an anti-PD-1 therapy, has simultaneously received five new approvals from the Japan Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, including three expanded uses in advanced non-small lung cancer, one in melanoma, as well as a new indication in advanced microsatellite instability-high tumors. The following new approvals were all granted priority review by the PMDA:
In recent months, several directors of cancer centers, appearing on The Directors, a segment of The Cancer Letter Podcast, mentioned that their institutions are increasingly providing small grants—typically in the range of $50,000—to scientists to enable them to keep their labs open.
