Merck's Subcutaneous Pembrolizumab Shows Comparable Efficacy to IV KEYTRUDA with Significantly Reduced Administration Time
• Merck's subcutaneous pembrolizumab with berahyaluronidase alfa demonstrated noninferior pharmacokinetics compared to intravenous KEYTRUDA in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treatment.
• The subcutaneous formulation, administered in approximately two minutes versus standard IV infusion, reduced patient chair time by nearly 50% and healthcare professional active time by 45.7%, potentially improving treatment efficiency.
• FDA review of the subcutaneous pembrolizumab application is underway with a target action date of September 23, 2025, which could make it the first subcutaneous checkpoint inhibitor available across all KEYTRUDA's approved solid tumor indications.
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