Pharmaceutical giant Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) pembrolizumab drug, Keytruda, has been granted an additional indication by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment.
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The statement said that the new indication is for NSCLC patients who have already undergone resection and platinum-based chemotherapy.
According to the statement, Keytruda is a programmed death receptor-1-blocking antibody that is indicated “in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy, as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.”
Keytruda is one of Merck’s biggest top-line drivers and is already approved for the treatment of many cancers globally. Earlier this week, Merck reported ‘positive’ results from its Phase 3 KEYNOTE-966 trial. Refinitiv data suggests that Keytruda revenues are expected to surpass $30 billion in 2026 and $35 billion by 2028 on average.
Is MRK a Buy or Sell?
Wall Street is bullish on MRK stock, with a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 13 Buys and four Holds. The average price target of $117.47 indicates a 9.92% upside over the year.