Keytruda (Pembrolizumab)
pembrolizumab 100 mg/4 mL injection, 4 mL vial · INJECTION · PBS code 13114F
STREAMLINEDWhat it costs
AU$3632.56 PBS-determined price per pack
Most patients pay only the standard PBS co-payment, not the full price above — up to AU$25.00 per script (general) or AU$7.70 (concession/Safety Net) in 2026. The figure above is what the PBS pays the pharmacy; the Australian Government subsidises the rest. Always confirm the current amount with your pharmacist.
- • First listed on the PBS: 2022-10-01.
- • Repeats: 6.
- • PBS program: IN.
Eligibility criteria for subsidised access
The following is the government's own wording from the PBS Schedule, shown unchanged.
Listing of Pharmaceutical Benefits (NHL) - Schedule 4 part 1
Recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx
Initial treatment
The condition must be incurable by local therapies in the locally advanced setting; AND
Patient must not have had systemic therapy for this condition in the recurrent or metastatic setting prior to initiating PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition; AND
Patient must not have previously received programmed cell death-1/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitor therapy for any earlier stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx; AND
Patient must not have experienced disease recurrence within 6 months of completion of systemic therapy if previously treated in the locally advanced setting; AND
Patient must have had a WHO performance status of 0 or 1; AND
The treatment must be either: (i) the sole PBS-subsidised therapy where the condition expresses programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) with a combined positive score (CPS) greater than or equal to 20 in the tumour sample, (ii) in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, unless contraindicated or not tolerated; AND
Patient must be undergoing treatment with this drug administered once every 3 weeks - prescribe up to 6 repeat prescriptions; or
Patient must be undergoing treatment with this drug administered once every 6 weeks - prescribe up to 3 repeat prescriptions.
Listing of Pharmaceutical Benefits (NHL) - Schedule 4 part 1
Recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx
Continuing treatment
Patient must have previously received PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition; AND
Patient must not have developed disease progression while being treated with this drug for this condition; AND
Patient must be undergoing treatment with this drug administered once every 3 weeks - prescribe up to 6 repeat prescriptions; or
Patient must be undergoing treatment with this drug administered once every 6 weeks - prescribe up to 3 repeat prescriptions; AND
Patient must not be undergoing continuing PBS-subsidised treatment where this benefit is extending treatment beyond 24 cumulative months from the first administered dose, once in a lifetime.
Sponsor: Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 14 000 173 508
Not medical advice. Voxsanity republishes public PBS data in plain English. PBS listing status and criteria can change; always confirm current subsidised availability with your doctor or pharmacist.
Source: Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), © Commonwealth of Australia. Data used and redistributed under permission; not modified from its original wording where displayed verbatim.