Keytruda recommended for inclusion in the Cancer Drugs Fund

22 November 2018

British cost-effectiveness watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a final appraisal determination (FAD) that recommends inclusion of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) when used in combination with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy as an option for untreated, metastatic, non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose tumors have no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)- or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive mutations.

Keytruda is marketed by the UK subsidiary of US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK, which operates under the name MSD outside of North America. It is only recommended by the NICE if:

pembrolizumab is stopped at two years of uninterrupted treatment or earlier if disease progresses; and
the company provides pembrolizumab according to the managed access agreement.

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