(Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency’s committee has recommended approval for a new formulation of Merck’s blockbuster cancer therapy Keytruda that can be administered under the skin, the U.S. drugmaker said on Friday.

An approval would allow patients to access a faster alternative to the traditional intravenous method, reducing the time required to receive cancer immunotherapy — a treatment Merck has long relied on to fuel growth.

Keytruda, approved in the U.S. in 2014, harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight cancers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also expected to decide on the application for the subcutaneous or injectable version this month. It has set an action date of September 23.

The under-the-skin version cuts down time to be administered in one minute e

See Full Page