Source: Merck Sharp & Dohme (New Zealand) (MSD)
Auckland, New Zealand, 3 October 2025 – October is breast cancer awareness month, and Merck Sharp & Dohme (New Zealand) Limited (MSD) (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK) is pleased to share that KEYTRUDA, an immunotherapy medicine for the treatment of certain patients with high-risk early-stage triple negative breast cancer (eTNBC), has been added to Pharmac’s Options for Investment list, (OFI) meaning it can be considered for public funding. 1
MSD Director, Vanessa Gascoigne, says, “The inclusion of KEYTRUDA for eTNBC on Pharmac’s OFI list is good news, and we are pleased to announce this, during Breast Cancer Awareness month. 1
“TNBC, which accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancers, is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer that tends to grow and spread faster than other types of breast cancer and has a poorer prognosis. 2,3 TNBC has fewer treatment options compared to other types of breast cancer as it lacks receptors that can be targeted by medications such as hormone and HER2-blocking drugs.2
“KEYTRUDA has been funded for certain patients with advanced triple negative breast cancer since October 2024, and we are now working with Pharmac, trying to extend funded access for certain people diagnosed at an earlier stage of this challenging disease.” 4
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ Chief Executive, Ah-Leen Rayner, added: “New Zealanders with high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer need funded access to more treatment options. We hope Pharmac can widen access to KEYTRUDA so that eligible Kiwis with this aggressive type of breast cancer can have funded access to another treatment option.”
Vanessa Gascoigne, MSD New Zealand Director, adds “As of September 29th there are 122 other medicine applications on the Options for Investment list, waiting to be funded. 1 We will continue to work closely with Pharmac to try and progress this application for funding Keytruda for certain patients with high-risk early-stage TNBC.”
Consumer Mandatories
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) is available as a 100 mg/4 mL concentrate for solution for infusion.
KEYTRUDA is a Prescription Medicine and may be used in certain 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 non-small cell lung cancer or 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 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, merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), biliary tract carcinoma, or a kind of cancer that can occur anywhere in the body, including the colon or rectum, and is shown by a laboratory test to be microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).
KEYTRUDA may be used to treat certain children with MPM, cHL, MCC, or MSI-H/dMMR cancer. 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). Children may also receive KEYTRUDA after surgery to remove melanoma.
KEYTRUDA can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. 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. You may experience more than one side effect at the same time.
KEYTRUDA can cause some serious side effects. Serious side effects may include: lung problems, intestinal problems, liver problems, hormone gland problems, blood sugar problems, kidney problems, skin problems, problems in other organs and tissues, infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe, rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue, and complications in people with a bone marrow transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with KEYTRUDA. Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.
You should not be given KEYTRUDA if you are allergic to pembrolizumab or to any of the other ingredients.
If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, tell your doctor. KEYTRUDA can cause harm or death to your unborn baby. You must use effective contraception while you are being treated with KEYTRUDA and for at least 4 months after the last dose of KEYTRUDA if you are a woman who could become pregnant. Do not breastfeed while taking KEYTRUDA.
Very common side effects of KEYTRUDA 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.
The side effects listed below are additional common side effects that may occur when KEYTRUDA is given together with another treatment, in addition to the very common side effects listed above.
With chemotherapy or chemotherapy + radiotherapy: hair loss, vomiting, decreased number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood, mouth sores, fever, decreased appetite, and swelling of the lining of the digestive system (for example mouth, intestines).
With axitinib: high blood pressure, decreased appetite, blisters or rash on palms of your hands and soles of your feet, increased liver enzyme levels, hoarseness, and constipation.
With lenvatinib: high blood pressure, decreased appetite, 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.
In children, common side effects of KEYTRUDA include fever, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, decreased number of red blood cells, cough, and constipation. (v59)
These are not all of the possible side effects of KEYTRUDA. If you have any side effects, talk to your doctor.
KEYTRUDA has risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor about whether KEYTRUDA is a suitable treatment option for you. For more information about KEYTRUDA refer to the Consumer Medicine Information available at www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/k/Keytruda.pdf
KEYTRUDA is funded to treat certain patients with the following 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 cHL. Patients must meet specific criteria to qualify for funding.
If KEYTRUDA is not funded for your particular cancer, you will need to pay the full cost of the medicine and its administration. Talk to your doctor about whether you qualify for funding, the cost of the medicine, and any other fees that may apply.
