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KEYTRUDA® and KEYTRUDA SC® (pembrolizumab) are Prescription Medicines. KEYTRUDA is available as a 100 mg/4 mL concentrate for solution for infusion, and KEYTRUDA SC as either a 395 mg/2.4 mL or 790 mg/4.8 mL injection. For more information refer to the KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC 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, head and neck 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 melanoma, 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).

KEYTRUDA SC may be used to treat certain children 12 years of age and older with melanoma, MPM, cHL, MCC, or MSI-H/dMMR cancer. It is not known if KEYTRUDA SC is safe and effective in children with MSI-H or dMMR cancer of the brain or spinal cord (central nervous system cancers). It is not known if KEYTRUDA SC is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age with melanoma, MPM, cHL, MCC or MSI-H/dMMR cancer.

KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA SC may 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 or KEYTRUDA SC 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, rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue, and complications in people with a bone marrow transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC can cause infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC. Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.

You should not be given KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC 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 or KEYTRUDA SC can cause harm or death to your unborn baby. You must use effective contraception while you are being treated with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC and for at least 4 months after the last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC if you are a woman who could become pregnant. Do not breastfeed while taking KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC.

Very common side effects of KEYTRUDA which may also be seen with KEYTRUDA SC 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.

In children, the most common side effects seen with KEYTRUDA which may also be seen with KEYTRUDA SC include fever, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, decreased number of red blood cells, cough, and constipation.

The side effects listed below are additional common side effects that have been seen to occur with KEYTRUDA in combination with another treatment. These may also be seen when KEYTRUDA SC is given together with another treatment.

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, decreased weight 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.

These are not all of the possible side effects of KEYTRUDA or of KEYTRUDA SC. If you have any side effects, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor may switch your treatment from KEYTRUDA (infusion into your vein) to KEYTRUDA SC (injection under the skin) or from KEYTRUDA SC to KEYTRUDA.

KEYTRUDA has risks and benefits. If you have not been prescribed KEYTRUDA, ask your doctor whether KEYTRUDA is right for you.

For more information refer to the KEYTRUDA CMI or KEYTRUDA SC CMI. These can be found at www.medsafe.govt.nz or by clicking the links at the top right-hand side of this webpage.

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.

KEYTRUDA SC is not funded for any cancer. 

If you are not eligible for funding, you will need to pay the full cost of the medicine and its administration. Talk to your doctor about whether you are eligible, what the treatment will cost, and any other fees.

References:

  • KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information
  • KEYTRUDA SC Consumer Medicine Information
  • KEYTRUDA Data Sheet
  • KEYTRUDA SC Data Sheet
  • PHARMAC. The Pharmaceutical Schedule. Available at: www.pharmac.govt.nz. Accessed on 17/07/2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme (New Zealand) Limited, Level 3, 123 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket, Auckland.

NZ-KEY-00885v21.0. TAPS NP25504. Issued October 2026.

Copyright © 2026 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

KEYTRUDA® and KEYTRUDA SC® (pembrolizumab) are Prescription Medicines. KEYTRUDA is available as a 100 mg/4 mL concentrate for solution for infusion, and KEYTRUDA SC as either a 395 mg/2.4 mL or 790 mg/4.8 mL injection. For more information refer to the KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

KEYTRUDA® and KEYTRUDA SC® (pembrolizumab) are Prescription Medicines. KEYTRUDA is available as a 100 mg/4 mL concentrate for solution for infusion, and KEYTRUDA SC as either a 395 mg/2.4 mL or 790 mg/4.8 mL injection. For more information refer to the KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC 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, head and neck 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 melanoma, 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).

KEYTRUDA SC may be used to treat certain children 12 years of age and older with melanoma, MPM, cHL, MCC, or MSI-H/dMMR cancer. It is not known if KEYTRUDA SC is safe and effective in children with MSI-H or dMMR cancer of the brain or spinal cord (central nervous system cancers). It is not known if KEYTRUDA SC is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age with melanoma, MPM, cHL, MCC or MSI-H/dMMR cancer.

KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA SC may 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 or KEYTRUDA SC 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, rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue, and complications in people with a bone marrow transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC can cause infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC. Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.

You should not be given KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC 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 or KEYTRUDA SC can cause harm or death to your unborn baby. You must use effective contraception while you are being treated with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC and for at least 4 months after the last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC if you are a woman who could become pregnant. Do not breastfeed while taking KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA SC.

Very common side effects of KEYTRUDA which may also be seen with KEYTRUDA SC 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.

In children, the most common side effects seen with KEYTRUDA which may also be seen with KEYTRUDA SC include fever, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, decreased number of red blood cells, cough, and constipation.

The side effects listed below are additional common side effects that have been seen to occur with KEYTRUDA in combination with another treatment. These may also be seen when KEYTRUDA SC is given together with another treatment.

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, decreased weight 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.

These are not all of the possible side effects of KEYTRUDA or of KEYTRUDA SC. If you have any side effects, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor may switch your treatment from KEYTRUDA (infusion into your vein) to KEYTRUDA SC (injection under the skin) or from KEYTRUDA SC to KEYTRUDA.

KEYTRUDA has risks and benefits. If you have not been prescribed KEYTRUDA, ask your doctor whether KEYTRUDA is right for you.

For more information refer to the KEYTRUDA CMI or KEYTRUDA SC CMI. These can be found at www.medsafe.govt.nz or by clicking the links at the top right-hand side of this webpage.

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.

KEYTRUDA SC is not funded for any cancer. 

If you are not eligible for funding, you will need to pay the full cost of the medicine and its administration. Talk to your doctor about whether you are eligible, what the treatment will cost, and any other fees.

References:

  • KEYTRUDA Consumer Medicine Information
  • KEYTRUDA SC Consumer Medicine Information
  • KEYTRUDA Data Sheet
  • KEYTRUDA SC Data Sheet
  • PHARMAC. The Pharmaceutical Schedule. Available at: www.pharmac.govt.nz. Accessed on 17/07/2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme (New Zealand) Limited, Level 3, 123 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket, Auckland.

NZ-KEY-00885v21.0. TAPS NP25504. Issued October 2026.

Copyright © 2026 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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