Table of contents:
- What drug Pembrolizumab?
- How does pembrolizumab work as a cancer drug
- How do you administer pembrolizumab?
- Is this drug accessible in Indonesia?
- How much medical expenses are required?
Experts around the world are still racing against time to provide effective cancer drugs with minimal side effects. Well, recently, immunotherapy-based treatment for cancer seems to be giving quite good promise. One of the cancer drugs that utilize the immune system (immune) is pembrolizumab.
Actually what is pembrolizumab? Has this drug been allowed to circulate in Indonesia? Is it true that it could be the right cancer drug? Find out the complete information below.
What drug Pembrolizumab?
Pembrolizumab is a type of monoclonal antibody drug used for the treatment of various types of cancer. These cancer drugs work by helping the immune system to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. The following are types of cancer that may use treatment with pembrolizumab.
- Melanoma that has spread (metastasized)
- NSCLC lung cancer that has spread
- Head and neck cancer recurring or not working with previous chemotherapy drugs
- Hodgkin's lymphoma in children and adults that does not improve after chemotherapy or gets better but recurs after three or more treatments
- Bladder cancer (in the lining of the bladder and other parts of the urinary tract) that has spread
- Colon (colorectal) cancer that has spread
It should be noted, this drug is not approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma blood cancer. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, which is equivalent to the POM in Indonesia, issued a drug safety warning when combined with dexamethasone and immunomodulatory agents such as lenalidomide or pomalidomide.
How does pembrolizumab work as a cancer drug
Pembrolizumab prevents a certain bond between T cells (a type of white blood cell) and cancer cells that can weaken the immune system against cancer. In other words, when this bond occurs, namely the bond between the two cells (PD1 and PDL1), the T cell becomes weaker against cancer cells and is unable to kill these abnormal cancer cells.
When pembrolizumab is given to the body, it blocks the binding. If T cells are not bound to cancer cells, these cells will remain strong so that they can kill cancer cells.
How do you administer pembrolizumab?
Pembrolizumab is available in powder to be dissolved in a liquid and then injected into a vein (intravenously) for more than 30 minutes by a doctor or nurse in a hospital. This cancer drug is usually injected in a dosage of 200 mg, given every three weeks for up to 24 months.
Is this drug accessible in Indonesia?
Unfortunately, this promising cancer drug has not been registered into Indonesia and has not received permission from the POM. In Southeast Asia, based on data from the MIMS (Monthly Index of Medical Specialties), this drug has entered Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Therefore, if you want to try cancer treatment with this drug, you really have to get it abroad.
How much medical expenses are required?
The cost problem becomes a big challenge for the use of this drug, because it is very expensive. The cost of treatment accompanied by chemotherapy is US $ 257,000 per year. However, the company states that in eight months, the cancer cells are dead so it costs you 172,000 US dollars or about 2.3 billion rupiah.
