Auckland, New Zealand, March 28th, 2025 – MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK) announced today that KEYTRUDA is now registered to treat patients with the following cancers:
- Malignant
Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM): KEYTRUDA as a first-line treatment may be combined with chemotherapy medicines to treat MPM, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and chest wall. This treatment is for adults and children when the cancer has spread or cannot
be removed by surgery.;1,2 - Merkel
Cell Carcinoma (MCC): KEYTRUDA may be used to treat MCC, a type of skin cancer, in adults and children when the cancer has spread or returned.;1,2 - Biliary
Tract Cancer (BTC): KEYTRUDA may be combined with chemotherapy medicines to treat BTC, a cancer that affects the bile ducts or gallbladder. This treatment is for adults when the cancer has spread or cannot be removed by surgery.1,2
KEYTRUDA is not publicly funded for the treatment of patients with these cancers.
Vanessa Gascoigne, Merck Sharp & Dohme (New Zealand) Limited (MSD) Director, says, “We are excited about these new registrations as mesothelioma, Merkel cell carcinoma and biliary tract cancer are rare forms of cancer.”.3, 4, 5
Dr Terri-Ann Berry, Mesothelioma Support & Asbestos Awareness Trust Board Chair, says “Mesothelioma is a cancer primarily caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos causes harm when a person is exposed to the tiny asbestos fibres. 3 It is most likely to be found in buildings built before the 2000s and mesothelioma usually develops 15-60 years after exposure. 6,3
“Pleural mesothelioma is a type of mesothelioma which affects the tissue lining around the lungs (pleura) and is the most common form of this cancer. The symptoms of mesothelioma may include – a cough that doesn’t go away, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, sweating at night, and fevers.” 3
Bile tract cancer affects the bile ducts and gallbladder. Symptoms may include yellowing of the skin and eyes, nausea and vomiting, weakness or tiredness, loss of appetite and weight, fever, right-side abdominal pain, dark urine, pale stools, and itchy skin. 2, 7
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer which tends to grow quickly. Merkel cell carcinomas most often start on skin that’s exposed to the sun, like the face, neck, and arms, but it can occur anywhere. Merkel cell carcinomas typically appear as solid lumps or bumps on the skin, which can be pink, red, or purple in color. They are generally painless. 4
Vanessa Gascoigne, MSD New Zealand Director, adds, “KEYTRUDA is now registered for 31 indications including for the treatment of patients with certain types of advanced and early-stage cancers.1
““Thanks to the Government’s increase in the medicines budget last year, eligible patients may access funded KEYTRUDA for 11 of those indications. Patients with any of the other 20 indications may access KEYTRUDA at their own expense through a private cancer center across New Zealand. 8,9 We recommend speaking to your doctor if you would like more information about these cancers.
“MSD will continue to work with the funding agency, Pharmac, in an effort to obtain funded access for more patients with cancer, including those with early-stage high-risk triple-negative breast cancer and stage III melanoma. 10
“We know people across New Zealand would benefit from faster funded access to cancer treatment. The sadness is that while KEYTRUDA is currently publicly funded for 11 indications, it is not funded for all patients in which it is indicated for.” 9
Please see accompanying Prescribing Information and Patient Information for KEYTRUDA.
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) is available as a 100 mg/4 mL concentrate for solution for infusion.
The KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is available at www.medsafe.govt.nz.
KEYTRUDA is a Prescription Medicine and may be used in adults:
- After
surgery to remove melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer or renal cell carcinoma to help prevent the cancer from coming back - Before
surgery to treat triple-negative breast cancer and then continued after surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back - To
treat bladder cancer which has not spread to nearby tissues but is at high-risk of spreading and where bladder removal is not preferred - To
treat certain patients with the following types of advanced cancers: - Melanoma
- Non-small
cell lung cancer - Malignant
pleural mesothelioma (MPM) - Classical
Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) - Urothelial
carcinoma - Head
and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Renal
cell carcinoma - Gastric
or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma - Oesophageal
carcinoma - Cutaneous
squamous cell carcinoma. - Cervical
cancer - Endometrial
carcinoma - Triple-negative
breast cancer - A
kind of cancer that can occur in any part of the body and is shown by a laboratory test to be microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) - Colon
or rectal cancer that is shown by a laboratory test to be MSI-H or dMMR - Merkel
cell carcinoma (MCC) - Biliary
tract carcinoma
KEYTRUDA may be used in children with MPM, cHL, MCC, MSI-H or dMMR cancer, or after surgery to remove melanoma. It is not known if KEYTRUDA is safe and effective in children with MSI-H or dMMR cancer of the brain or spinal cord (central nervous system cancers).
You should not be given KEYTRUDA if you are allergic to pembrolizumab or to any of the other ingredients listed at the end of the CMI.
KEYTRUDA can cause harm or death to unborn babies. Talk to your doctor if you are a woman who could become pregnant and use effective contraception while you are being treated with KEYTRUDA and for at least 4 months after the last dose of KEYTRUDA. Do not breastfeed while taking KEYTRUDA.
Serious immune-mediated side effects have occurred affecting the lungs, intestines, liver, kidneys, hormone glands, blood sugar levels, skin, other organs and in transplant recipients. Some of these side effects can sometimes become life-threatening and can lead to death. These side effects may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended and you may experience more than one side effect at the same time. Serious infusion reactions have also occurred.
Very common side effects with KEYTRUDA alone include diarrhoea, nausea, itching, rash, joint pain, back pain, feeling tired, cough, patches of discoloured skin, stomach pain, decreased levels of sodium in blood and low levels of thyroid hormone.
When KEYTRUDA was given in combination with chemotherapy, hair loss, vomiting, decreased white-blood cell count, mouth sores, fever, decreased appetite, decreased number of red blood cells, decreased number of platelets in the blood and swelling of the lining of the digestive system (for example mouth, intestines) were also commonly reported.
When KEYTRUDA was given in combination with axitinib, high blood pressure, fatigue, low levels of thyroid hormone, decreased appetite, blisters or rash on palms of your hands and soles of your feet, increased liver enzyme levels, hoarseness, and constipation were also commonly reported.
When KEYTRUDA was given in combination with lenvatinib, high blood pressure, decreased appetite, low levels of thyroid hormone, vomiting, weight loss, headache, constipation, hoarseness, urinary tract infection, stomach-area (abdominal pain), blisters or rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, protein in your urine, increased liver enzyme levels and feeling weak were also commonly reported.
The most common side effects when KEYTRUDA is given alone to children include fever, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, decreased number of red blood cells, cough, and constipation. (v54)
KEYTRUDA has risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor to see if KEYTRUDA is right for you. If symptoms continue or you have side effects, tell your doctor.
KEYTRUDA is funded to treat certain patients with the following types of advanced cancers: melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, MSI-H or dMMR colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, and classical Hodgkin lymphoma – further restrictions apply. KEYTRUDA is not funded for the treatment of all other cancers listed above.
Ask your health professional about the cost of the medicine and any other medical fees that may apply.
