Merck (MRK) announced that KEYTRUDA has been approved in China in combination with platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction.
"With this approval of KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy - the first for an anti-PD-1 regimen in the first-line setting - we can now provide patients with an immunotherapy treatment option earlier in the course of treatment that has been shown to significantly improve survival," said Scot Ebbinghaus, vice president, clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories.
Merck noted that this is the second indication for KEYTRUDA in esophageal cancer in China. KEYTRUDA is previously approved in China for a second-line treatment of certain patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma whose tumors express PD-L1.
KEYTRUDA is now approved for eight indications across five different types of cancer in China.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.