SC Pembrolizumab in NSCLC May Boost Patient Experience, Efficiency
Enriqueta Felip, MD, PhD, discusses how results from the phase 3 3475A-D77 trial evaluating subcutaneous pembrolizumab vs intravenous pembrolizumab, plus chemotherapy, for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC may impact patient experience and clinical workflow.
Enriqueta Felip, MD, PhD, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, section chief at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, head of the Vall d' Hebron Institute of Oncology's thoracic tumors group, discusses how results from the phase 3 3475A-D77 trial (NCT05722015) evaluating subcutaneous (SC) pembrolizumab vs intravenous (IV) pembrolizumab (Keytruda), plus chemotherapy, for the treatment of metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may impact patient experience and clinical workflow.
“It is important that the subcutaneous administration, the duration, is only 2 minutes for a 4.8 milliliters volume. [Intravenous] pembrolizumab is 30 minutes, so overall, less time in the day hospital. I think it is important for the patients, and also for the organization of the hospital,” says Felip.
Findings from the randomized, open-label, phase 3 3475A-D77 trial were presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2025 and simultaneously published in Annals of Oncology. The study included 377 patients with metastatic NSCLC, irrespective of PD-L1 TPS expression.
The SC administration of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) combined with berahyaluronidase alfa (MK-3475A; SC pembrolizumab) led to noninferior pharmacokinetics (PK) when given in addition to chemotherapy with a median injection time of 2 minutes, vs IV pembrolizumab and chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic NSCLC. With this, the primary end points of the pivotal phase 3 3475A-D77 trial were met.
“We have not yet presented the data of the quality of life of the patients. And I think it is important to say that these patients will stay less time in the hospital. I think it is relevant. In general, I think the subcutaneous administration is very well perceived for patients,” explains Felip.
“In the future, we also need to test and determine if it is possible to perform some of these administrations, even at home or near the home of the patient. I think this is the next step,” she adds.
