Keytruda, in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab paclitaxel, is indicated for the first line treatment of metastatic squamous non small cell lung carcinoma in adults.

KEYTRUDA is a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)-blocking antibody indicated:...in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or paclitaxel protein-bound, as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: SYSTEMIC THERAPY FOR ADVANCED OR METASTATIC DISEASE…SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA…Preferred:...Pembrolizumab (category 1)...

Squamous cell carcinoma…Preferred…Pembrolizumab/carboplatin/albumin-bound paclitaxel...Pembrolizumab/carboplatin/paclitaxel

Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo with paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 every 3 weeks (Q3W) or nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 (weekly) plus carboplatin area under the concentration-time curve of 6 mg/mL/min Q3W for four cycles, followed by pembrolizumab or placebo Q3W for a total of 35 cycles....Median PFS (95% CI) was 8.3 (6.1-13.0) versus 7.2 (3.9-8.8) months (HR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.35-1.23).

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy maintained an OS and PFS benefit versus placebo plus chemotherapy in previously untreated, metastatic squamous NSCLC and is a standard-of-care first-line treatment option for metastatic squamous NSCLC regardless of programmed death ligand 1 expression.

Pembro + chemo maintained improvement in OS and PFS with manageable safety after longer follow-up in Chinese pts in KEYNOTE-407, consistent with the global study population. OS was prolonged in pts who completed 35 cycles of pembro. These data support first-line pembro + chemo as SOC in pts with metastatic squamous NSCLC.

In patients with previously untreated metastatic, squamous NSCLC, the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy with carboplatin plus paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel resulted in significantly longer overall survival and progression-free survival than chemotherapy alone.