India, April 22 -- Merck KGaA (MKGAF.PK), Tuesday announced that Health Canada has approved Keytruda in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic malignant pleural mesothelioma or MPM.

The approval is based on the findings of the pivotal Phase 3 IND.227/KEYNOTE-483 trial, which demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival, progression-free survival, and overall response rate in patients randomized to the combination therapy compared to those randomized to chemotherapy alone.

The company stated that the combination would provide a new therapeutic option for the patients, and is expected to improve their health ou...