Pembrolizumab

Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, is a <a href="/facts/Humanized_antibody/WeQWvrcA">humanized antibody</a>, more specifically a <a href="/facts/PD-1_and_PD-L1_inhibitors/M3c1XA0E">PD-1 inhibitor</a>, used in <a href="/facts/Cancer_immunotherapy/0QKPeh5x">cancer immunotherapy</a> that treats <a href="/facts/Melanoma/qdT7E97Y">melanoma</a>, <a href="/facts/Lung_cancer/LHLdR454">lung cancer</a>, <a href="/facts/Head_and_neck_cancer/v8T8bNs7">head and neck cancer</a>, <a href="/facts/Hodgkin_lymphoma/mCeqnGty">Hodgkin lymphoma</a>, <a href="/facts/Stomach_cancer/HJjYtkqS">stomach cancer</a>, <a href="/facts/Cervical_cancer/99vngUyd">cervical cancer</a>, and certain types of <a href="/facts/Breast_cancer/6hME580v">breast cancer</a>. It is administered by <a href="/facts/Intravenous/AwwuD3Nu">slow intravenous injection</a>.
Common side effects include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, decreased appetite, itchy skin (pruritus), diarrhea, nausea, rash, fever (pyrexia), cough, difficulty breathing (dyspnea), constipation, pain, and abdominal pain. It is an IgG4 isotype antibody that blocks a protective mechanism of cancer cells, allowing the immune system to destroy them. It targets the <a href="/facts/Programmed_cell_death_protein_1/KxBSBzjz">programmed cell death protein 1</a> (PD-1) receptor of lymphocytes.
Pembrolizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2014. It is on the <a href="/facts/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines/6kmu81Xm">World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines</a>.

Pembrolizumab open-in-new

Pembrolizumab