Not Terribly Material, But Good News From HealthCanada, On Merck's Keytruda: Freight Train Rolls Onward...

We had, for about five years, now. . . stopped covering individual in-country indications/approvals for pembrolizumab. . . since it seemed to be getting one about every other day, for a stretch there. But now, as the immuno-oncology market has begun to mature. . . new indications / new approvals come more like once a month. So, we will endeavor to cover them again.

No doubt that this franchise will be a $20 plus billion per year juggernaut well into the early 2030s, unless a category shifting new discovery is made in oncology -- which one should never rule out.

After all, pembrolizumab itself was just such a seismic change in standard of care. But this -- this therapy -- is the central engine of all of Merck's earnings. . . and will be so, into the next decade (with some clever patent footwork). So the predictions of a 2026 generic are. . . actually a little silly.

In any event, here is the latest:

. . .Health Canada approved Merck's blockbuster drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as an adjuvant therapy for patients 12 years and older with stage IIB or IIC melanoma following complete resection.

The approval was backed by data from a phase 3 trial called KEYNOTE-716, which showed a statistically significant improvement in recurrence-free survival, the company said in a Sept. 13 press release. . . .

Now you know. Onward, grinning -- at the very tight corner Tangerine has painted himself into in the federal courts in Florida and DC. Positively. . . grinning.

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