Korean pharmaceutical company MSD’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has further solidified its position as a universal immunotherapy. Initially targeting lung cancer, Keytruda has expanded its treatment scope to various cancer types, and now it’s poised to potentially broaden coverage for stomach cancer patients.
Industry sources reported on March 7 that Keytruda is leading the pack among domestic immunotherapies in terms of expanding insurance coverage. This year has seen a notable acceleration in coverage expansion, significantly boosting its impact in cancer treatment.
In a recent development, the 3rd Pharmaceutical Benefit Assessment Committee deemed it appropriate to expand coverage for Keytruda’s use in stomach cancer treatment.
The review specifically targets patients with mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) or high microsatellite instability (MSI-H). This includes individuals with inoperable, advanced, or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma displaying these genetic markers, excluding HER2-positive patients.
By green-lighting this coverage expansion, the committee has paved the way for Keytruda to potentially cover stomach cancer patients with specific molecular characteristics. However, the final decision hinges on price negotiations with the National Health Insurance Service and approval from the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee.
Keytruda made significant strides in January, dramatically expanding its coverage across multiple cancer types. This expansion encompassed stomach, esophageal, endometrial, colorectal, cervical, breast, small intestine, and biliary tract cancers.
As a result, Keytruda’s insurance coverage, previously limited to certain cancers like non-small cell lung cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, melanoma, and urothelial carcinoma, now spans an impressive 13 cancer types and 18 indications.
Keytruda stands out as the immunotherapy with the broadest coverage in the domestic market, having expanded from lung cancer to stomach, breast, and cervical cancers, among others.
This coverage expansion aligns with the evolving landscape of cancer treatment, which is shifting towards precision medicine – selecting targets based on genetic mutations or biomarkers rather than the cancer’s location.
Industry experts suggest that Keytruda has effectively positioned itself as a near-universal immunotherapy by continually expanding coverage across various cancer types. They view the domestic coverage expansion as an extension of its global strategy to dominate the immunotherapy market through indication expansion.