Merck has now added a real doctor to its TV ad for Keytruda (pembrolizumab), the cancer immunotherapeutic. Two new ads – one featuring Dr. Goetz Kloecker, a practicing oncologist, alone and one featuring Dr.

Half (50%) of the patients who received Keytruda every 3 weeks were alive at 4.1 months, compared to 2.8 months for patients receiving Yervoy. Keytruda was shown to reduce the risk of dying by 31% compared to Yervoy.

At the time of interim analysis the average duration of survival was improved to 15.9 months for the Keytruda treated patients compared to only 11.3 months for chemotherapy alone.

Patients receiving Keytruda lived for 10.3 months (median overall survival) compared to 7.4 months with chemotherapy.

KEYTRUDA plus carboplatin-paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel reduced the risk of death by 29% (HR=0.71 [95% CI, 0.59-0.85]) versus chemotherapy alone. The median OS was 17.2 months for the KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy group versus 11.6 months for the chemotherapy group.

Immunotherapy Benefit for Advanced Lung Cancer Continues Beyond 2 Years. Limiting immunotherapy to 2 years doesn't decrease survival odds, but may reduce bothersome side effects and improve quality of life.

A response to treatment is typically seen within 2-4 months of starting treatment with Keytruda, but the time it takes to work will vary based on cancer type and the stage of disease. Keytruda is a type of immunotherapy that works by preventing cancer cells from hiding from your immune system.

FDA approval In 2014, Keytruda was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat several types of cancer. Since its initial approval, Keytruda has been approved for new and expanded uses. In 2019 alone, the FDA approved the drug for eight new or expanded uses.

Of the patients who completed two years (35 cycles) of treatment with KEYTRUDA plus carboplatin-paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel (n=55/278), 69.5% were alive at five years, with an ORR of 90.9% (with nine complete responses and 41 partial responses).

The average overall survival duration among Keytruda treated patients is now 26.3 months compared to 14.2 months for those treated with chemotherapy. The 36-month overall survival is 43.7% for Keytruda compared to 24.9% for chemotherapy.

Some patients can stay on KEYTRUDA for up to a year or two. Your doctor will decide how long you will be on treatment.

At room temperature for no more than 6 hours from the time of dilution. This includes room temperature storage of the diluted solution, and the duration of infusion. Under refrigeration at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) for no more than 96 hours from the time of dilution.