If you find out that you or a family member has contracted malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), the doctor will likely make clear that your time together will be limited. There is no known cure for this cancer, and by the time it is discovered, it is usually quite far progressed. Only 12% of those diagnosed make it as far as another five years.
In the second half of 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc. the approval it needed for doctors to start treating mesothelioma patients with a new drug it had developed.
About Keytruda
The decision came after results from Phase 3 trials of the Keytruda drug showed that those given the drug along with chemotherapy had a significantly increased survival rate for a given time than those who were given chemotherapy alone.
It’s important to highlight that Keytruda is not being touted as a cure for mesothelioma; rather, it is just a way to allow someone to gain a few weeks or months of life. While that might not seem like much time to some, it’s likely to count for a lot for those affected by the disease and those they will soon leave behind.
As welcome as this news is, it’s important to remember that a lot of mesothelioma was almost certainly preventable. The asbestos industry knew about the dangers of asbestos a long time ago, but it took steps to hide those dangers from the general public. The pursuit of profit was deemed more important than people’s health. Those affected may rightly want to learn how to seek compensation.