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Pembrolizumab Dosage

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Apr 15, 2024.

Applies to the following strengths: 25 mg/mL; 50 mg

Usual Adult Dose for Malignant Melanoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks

Duration of Therapy:


Comments:

Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Melanoma - Metastatic

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks

Duration of Therapy:


Comments:

Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks

Duration/Timing of Therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months


Comments:

Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Head and Neck Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Hodgkin's Disease

200 mg IV every 3 weeks

Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:

Use: For the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL)

Usual Adult Dose for Lymphoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks

Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:

Use: For the treatment of patients with refractory PMBCL, or who have relapsed after 2 or more prior lines of therapy

Usual Adult Dose for Urothelial Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Bladder Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until persistent or recurrent high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: As a single agent, for the treatment of patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk NMIBC with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have elected not to undergo cystectomy

Usual Adult Dose for Solid Tumors

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Colorectal Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic MSI-H or dMMR colorectal cancer (CRC) as determined by a US FDA-approved test

Usual Adult Dose for Gastric Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Esophageal Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses: For the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal or GEJ (tumors with epicenter 1 to 5 cm above the GEJ) carcinoma that is not amenable to surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation either:

Usual Adult Dose for Cervical Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) secondary to hepatitis B who have received prior systemic therapy other than a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1-containing regimen

Usual Adult Dose for Cholangiocarcinoma of biliary tract

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: In combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or biliary tract cancer

Usual Adult Dose for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC)

Usual Adult Dose for Renal Cell Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks

Duration of Therapy:


Comments:

Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Endometrial Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Adult Dose for Squamous Cell Carcinoma

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) or locally advanced cSCC that is not curable by surgery or radiation

Usual Adult Dose for Breast Cancer

200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks

Duration/Timing of Therapy:


Comments:

Uses:

Usual Pediatric Dose for Hodgkin's Disease

2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with refractory cHL, or cHL that has relapsed after 2 or more lines of therapy

Usual Pediatric Dose for Lymphoma

2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with refractory PMBCL, or who have relapsed after 2 or more prior lines of therapy

Usual Pediatric Dose for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Use: For the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic MCC

Usual Pediatric Dose for Solid Tumors

2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 24 months

Comments:


Uses:

Usual Pediatric Dose for Malignant Melanoma

12 years and older: 2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 12 months

Comments:


Use: For the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage IIB, IIC, or III melanoma after complete resection

Usual Pediatric Dose for Melanoma - Metastatic

12 years and older: 2 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks
Maximum dose: 200 mg/dose
Duration of therapy: Until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 12 months

Comments:


Use: For the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage IIB, IIC, or III melanoma after complete resection

Renal Dose Adjustments

Renal dysfunction: Data not available

If Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction Develops During Therapy:


Comments:

Liver Dose Adjustments

Liver dysfunction: Data not available

If Immune-Mediated Hepatitis with No Tumor Involvement of The Liver Develops During Therapy:


If Immune-Mediated Hepatitis with Tumor Involvement of The Liver Develops During Therapy:

If Liver Enzyme Elevations Develop During Therapy with This Drug in Combination with Axitinib:

Comments:

Dose Adjustments

No dose reduction is recommended for this drug.

General Guidelines:


Dosage Modifications for Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions:
Colitis:

Endocrinopathies:

Exfoliative Dermatologic Conditions:

Hematologic Toxicity in Patients with cHL or PMBCL:

Infusion-Related Reactions:

Myocarditis:

Neurological Toxicities:

Pneumonitis:

Adverse Reactions for This Drug in Combination with Lenvatinib:

Precautions

CONTRAINDICATIONS: None

Safety and efficacy as a single agent have been established in pediatric patients with melanoma, cHL, PMBCL, MCC, MSI-H or dMMR cancer, and TMB-H cancer; safety and efficacy for other indications have not been established in patients younger than 18 years.

Consult WARNINGS section for additional precautions.

Dialysis

Data not available

Other Comments

Administration advice:


Storage requirements:

Reconstitution/preparation techniques:

IV compatibility:

General:

Monitoring:

Patient advice:

Frequently asked questions

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.