The FDA approved Merck’s Keytruda Qlex (pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph) injection Friday for subcutaneous use in adults, expanding access to the widely used cancer therapy with a faster, less invasive option than the traditional intravenous use.

Keytruda Qlex is now the first and only subcutaneously administered immune checkpoint inhibitor available in the U.S. that can be given by a healthcare provider in as little as one minute every three weeks, or two minutes every six weeks, compared with the roughly 30 minutes needed for an intravenous (IV) infusion of Keytruda.

Unlike intravenous administration, which delivers the drug directly into a vein through an infusion, a subcutaneous injection is given just under the skin using a short needle , allowing for quicker deliver

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