THE Federal Government has announced the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listing of immunotherapy drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab, MSD) for Australians diagnosed with certain early-stage cancers from 01 Apr 2026.
The new listings are for locally advanced cervical cancer, locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and kidney cancer at risk of recurrence after surgery.
The drug is registered for the treatment of 35 forms of cancer, with 18 funded through the PBS.
"We welcome and thank Minister Butler for his commitment to improving equitable access to Keytruda for Australians with early-stage cancer, particularly across these three indications," said Chifumi Umeda, managing director, MSD Australia & NZ.
Umeda said the company is continuing discussions with the government to support further access to Keytruda through multi-cancer funding, following the PBAC's positive recommendation in Dec 2025.
"We remain focussed on doing everything we can to deliver timely and equitable access," Umeda concluded.
Keytruda was the highest-cost drug to the PBS in 2024-25, at over $680 million for around 80,000 prescriptions (PD 17 Dec 2025).
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