Keytruda – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

Jarryd Roughead was successfully treated with immunotherapy for melanoma. BRENDON THORNE/AAP

October 2, 2018

How two 1990s discoveries have led to (some) cured cancers, and a Nobel Prize

Craig Gedye, University of Newcastle

In a remarkably short period of time, drugs that harness the power of the immune system, have been used to successfully treat many cancers.

Immunotherapy works by increasing the magnitude or quality of the patient’s own immune response. from shutterstock.com

April 11, 2018

Weekly Dose: Keytruda may be a miracle cancer drug, but can those who need it afford it?

Nicholas Huntington, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Immunotherapy drugs work by increasing the patient’s own immune response. The most successful examples of immunotherapies are drugs that act as antibodies, of which Keytruda is one.

Some people taking these drugs can see their cancer completely disappear – there’s nothing left to see on their x-rays. from www.shutterstock.com.au

July 31, 2017

Cancer immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda and Opdivo hold hope for some, but there’s still a way to go

Craig Gedye, University of Newcastle

Imagine being able to offer hope to people with cancers once thought untreatable. Checkpoint immune drugs like Opdivo and Keytruda lead this new era in treatment. But they don’t work for everyone.

A group of oncologists have called on cancer patients to challenge the high prices charged by pharmaceutical companies for new cancer drugs. ep_jhu/Flickr

July 26, 2015

If we don’t talk about value, cancer drugs will become terminal for health systems

Narcyz Ghinea, University of Sydney; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney

Hope, fear, and desperation, along with the unique characteristics of the cancer drug market, create a “perfect storm” that continues to drive up prices for cancer drugs.

Keytruda® targets a protein on the surface of immune cells that stopped them from attacking the melanoma cells. Australis Photography/Shutterstock

April 23, 2015

Explainer: how does Keytruda treat melanoma and why is it so costly?

Ian Olver, University of South Australia

Keytruda® is the latest drug to be registered in Australia for the treatment of widespread melanoma. But we must wait to see if it meets the cost-effectiveness targets for PBS subsidisation.

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