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Pembrolizumab
Pharmaceutical drug used in cancer treatment / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, is a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy that treats melanoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, and certain types of breast cancer.[10][12][13][14] It is administered by slow intravenous injection.[13]
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Monoclonal antibody | |
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Type | Whole antibody |
Source | Humanized (from mouse) |
Target | PD-1 |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Keytruda |
Other names | MK-3475, lambrolizumab |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a614048 |
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Pregnancy category |
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Routes of administration | Intravenous |
Drug class | Antineoplastic agent |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
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Identifiers | |
CAS Number | |
DrugBank | |
ChemSpider |
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KEGG | |
ChEMBL | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.234.370 ![]() |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C6534H10004N1716O2036S46 |
Molar mass | 146648.64 g·mol−1 |
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.[15][13] It is an IgG4 isotype antibody that blocks a protective mechanism of cancer cells, allowing the immune system to destroy them. It targets the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor of lymphocytes.[15]
Pembrolizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2014.[13] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[16]