Pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck Sharp & Dohme) has a marketing authorisation for the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma in adults whose tumours express PD L1 with at least a 50% tumour proportion score with no epidermal growth factor receptor or anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive tumour mutations.
The dosage schedule is available in the summary of product characteristics.
The cost of pembrolizumab is £1,315.00 per 50‑mg vial (excluding VAT; BNF online accessed March 2017). The average cost of a course of treatment is £84,002 based on the list price.
The company has a commercial arrangement. This makes pembrolizumab available to the NHS with a discount. The size of the discount is commercial in confidence. It is the company's responsibility to let relevant NHS organisations know the details of the discount.