Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) Available on the NHS for Primary Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients

Today the NHS England has announced that Pembrolizumab (brand name, Keytruda®) has become available as an NHS England & Wales treatment option for patients with primary Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) after a deal was struck between the NHS and the manufacturer (MSD).   

In October 2022 Keytruda® was made available by the Scottish Medicine Consortium (SMC) for secondary TNBC and Keytruda® was also made available by NICE for this same patient cohort in May 2022 for usage in NHS England & Wales. You can read more about the SMC decision here. 

Keytruda® is an immunotherapy drug and works by blocking the activity of the PD-L1 protein. This type of immunotherapy drug will help the person’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.  

The NHS decision today means that NICE now recommends Keytruda®as an option with chemotherapy to try to reduce the size of the tumour before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment), and on its own as treatment after surgery (adjuvant treatment), for primary TNBC patients who are at high risk of recurrence. 

Clinical trial evidence shows that adding Keytruda® to chemotherapy before surgery, then continuing with Keytruda® alone after surgery increases the chance that the cancer will disappear. It also increases the time before any cancer returns.

Primary TNBC affects around 8,000 women a year – accounting for 15% of all breast cancer cases.

TNBC is challenging to treat with a shorter survival time than most other breast cancers and disproportionately affects women under 40 and those from black backgrounds.

Up to 1,600 women will be eligible for the treatment each year because they are at highest risk of recurrence and are already receiving chemotherapy.

Make 2nds Count welcomes this decision that provides more treatment options to patients that can decrease the likelihood of TNBC spreading after a primary diagnosis.