FDA Approves The Use Of Keytruda For Treating Lung Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the drug Keytruda in treating advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on October 2, 2015.
The FDA had already approved the use of Keytruda in treating melanoma and the accelerated approval it gave will allow for insurers to begin paying for the treatment right away.
Keytruda was tested on 550 patients with advanced NSCLC and the most common side effects included difficulty breathing, coughing, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Keytruda use also presented with severe side effects only listed as “severe immune-mediated side effects occurred involving the lungs, colon and hormone-producing glands,” on the FDA’s website.[1]
Other severe side effects including rash and inflammation of blood vessels, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are cautioned against using Keytruda because it could harm the fetus or baby.
Another sever side effect that occurred was the immune system attacking the nervous system, which is a conditon calle Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Tags: cancer awareness
