| Urothelial Carcinoma
Keytruda vs Balversa
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for urothelial carcinoma.Deep comparison between: Keytruda vs Balversa 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 signalsBalversa has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Keytruda based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Balversa but not Keytruda, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Keytruda
Balversa
At A Glance
IV infusion
Every 3 weeks or Every 6 weeks
PD-1 inhibitor
Oral
Once daily
FGFR 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
- Urothelial Carcinoma
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
Urothelial Carcinoma Starting dose 8 mg (two 4 mg tablets) orally once daily; increase to 9 mg (three 3 mg tablets) once daily at 14 to 21 days if serum phosphate level criteria are met and tolerability allows; continue until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Contraindications
—
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 (>20%) Increased phosphate, nail disorders, stomatitis, diarrhea, increased creatinine, increased alkaline phosphatase, increased alanine aminotransferase, decreased hemoglobin, decreased sodium, increased aspartate aminotransferase, fatigue, dry mouth, dry skin, decreased phosphate, decreased appetite, dysgeusia, constipation, increased calcium, dry eye, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, increased potassium, alopecia, central serous retinopathy
Serious Urinary tract infection, hematuria, hyponatremia, acute kidney injury, central serous retinopathy, general physical health deterioration
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.
Erdafitinib is a kinase inhibitor that binds to and inhibits enzymatic activity of FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, and FGFR4; inhibition of FGFR phosphorylation and signaling decreases cell viability in tumor cell lines expressing FGFR genetic alterations, including point mutations, amplifications, and fusions.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Keytruda
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (0/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
Balversa
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (0/12) · Qty limit (11/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Keytruda
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Balversa
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (6/8) · Step Therapy (4/8) · Qty limit (2/8)
Humana
Keytruda
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Balversa
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Keytruda.
$5/fillfill
J&J withMe Savings Program: BalversaCommercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.