21 April 2017 - A new drug which was recently funded for melanoma treatment is now registered for lung cancer treatment in New Zealand.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) this week received its second Medsafe registration for lung cancer, pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) announced.

That meant Keytruda is now registered for PD-L1 positive patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MSD New Zealand Director Paul Smith said the drug had the potential to transform the way lung cancer is treated. He said there was reason to believe Keytruda should replace platinum-based chemotherapy as the standard of care for advanced NSCLC.

Smith said MSD made an application to PHARMAC, the Government's drug funding agency, for funding of Keytruda in advanced NSCLC.

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