On 19 April 2024, Merck (known as MSD outside Canada and the US) announced that Health Canada has approved Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) as a 1st line treatment for locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2 negative gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma in combination with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based chemotherapy.
Keytruda® was approved for the same indication in the US in November 2023 and in Korea in March 2024, while a positive CHMP recommendation was received in Europe in October 2023.