| Renal Cell Carcinoma

Keytruda vs Sutent

Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for renal cell carcinoma.

Deep comparison between: Keytruda vs Sutent with Prescriber.AI

AI compares prescribing info and payer-specific access barriers across 1,200+ formularies. Here's a preview of what prescribers are already asking.

Safety signalsSutent has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Keytruda based on FDA-approved prescribing information

Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Sutent but not Keytruda, including UnitedHealthcare

Category

Keytruda

Sutent

At A Glance

RouteIV infusion

FrequencyEvery 3 weeks or Every 6 weeks

ClassPD-1 inhibitor

RouteOral

FrequencyDaily

ClassMulti-targeted RTK inhibitor

Indications

melanoma
Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma
Mediastinal (Thymic) Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Urothelial Carcinoma
Colorectal Carcinoma
Stomach Carcinoma
Esophageal carcinoma
Cervix carcinoma
Liver carcinoma
Biliary Tract Cancer
Merkel cell carcinoma
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Endometrial Carcinoma
Triple-Negative Breast Carcinoma
Malignant neoplasm of ovary
Squamous cell carcinoma of skin

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Well Differentiated Pancreatic Endocrine Neoplasm

Dosing

melanoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV; 2 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) every 3 weeks IV for pediatrics

Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV for adults; 2 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) every 3 weeks IV for pediatrics

Mediastinal (Thymic) Large B-Cell Lymphoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV for adults; 2 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) every 3 weeks IV for pediatrics

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

Colorectal Carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV for adults; 2 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) every 3 weeks IV for pediatrics

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

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

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

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

Biliary Tract Cancer 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Merkel cell carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV for adults; 2 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) every 3 weeks IV for pediatrics

Renal Cell Carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV as single agent or in combination with axitinib 5 mg orally twice daily or lenvatinib 20 mg orally once daily

Endometrial Carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, or with lenvatinib 20 mg orally once daily, or as single agent for MSI-H or dMMR tumors

Triple-Negative Breast Carcinoma 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Malignant neoplasm of ovary 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Squamous cell carcinoma of skin 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks IV

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, Renal Cell Carcinoma 50 mg orally once daily on Schedule 4/2 (4 weeks on, 2 weeks off); adjuvant RCC limited to a maximum of nine 6-week cycles.

Well Differentiated Pancreatic Endocrine Neoplasm 37.5 mg orally once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Contraindications

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Drug Interactions

188View drug interactions

1265View drug interactions

Adverse Reactions

Most common (>=20%) fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, decreased appetite, rash, diarrhea, nausea, cough, dyspnea, constipation, pruritus, hypothyroidism

Serious pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis with renal dysfunction, dermatologic adverse reactions, myocarditis, neurological toxicities, infusion-related reactions, immune-mediated adverse reactions

Postmarketing exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, sclerosing cholangitis

Most common (>=25%) Fatigue/asthenia, diarrhea, mucositis/stomatitis, nausea, decreased appetite/anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain, hand-foot syndrome, hypertension, bleeding events, dysgeusia/altered taste, dyspepsia, thrombocytopenia.

Serious Hepatotoxicity, cardiovascular events, QT interval prolongation and Torsade de Pointes, hemorrhagic events, tumor lysis syndrome, thrombotic microangiopathy, proteinuria, dermatologic toxicities, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome, thyroid dysfunction, hypoglycemia, osteonecrosis of the jaw, impaired wound healing.

Postmarketing Hemorrhage associated with thrombocytopenia, esophagitis, acalculous cholecystitis, hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema, serious infection, fistula formation, myopathy/rhabdomyolysis, renal impairment/failure, pulmonary embolism, pleural effusion, pyoderma gangrenosum, arterial aneurysms/dissections/rupture, arterial thromboembolic events.

Pharmacology

Pembrolizumab is a PD-1 blocking antibody that releases PD-1 pathway-mediated inhibition of the immune response by preventing the interaction of PD-1 with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby restoring anti-tumor immune response.

Sunitinib is a small-molecule inhibitor of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) including PDGFRalpha/beta, VEGFR1/2/3, KIT, FLT3, CSF-1R, and RET, which are implicated in tumor growth, pathologic angiogenesis, and metastatic progression of cancer.

View Full FDA Information

View full FDA information

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Most Common Insurance

Anthem BCBS

Keytruda