Vol. 3 No. 1 (2023)
Reimbursement Reviews

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)

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Published January 16, 2023

Key Messages

  • CADTH reimbursement reviews are comprehensive assessments of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, as well as patient and clinician perspectives, of a drug or drug class.
  • The assessments inform non-binding recommendations that help guide the reimbursement decisions of Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments, with the exception of Quebec.
  • This review assesses pembrolizumab (Keytruda), supplied as:
    • powder for solution for infusion: 50 mg lyophilized powder of pembrolizumab in a single-use vial, for reconstitution
    • solution for infusion: 100 mg/4 mL (25 mg/mL) solution in a single-use vial administered as an IV infusion over 30 minutes.
  • Indication: Adjuvant treatment of adult patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at intermediate-high or high risk of recurrence following nephrectomy, or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions.