Pembrolizumab: 15 agencies, 2015–2026
This page collects every recorded health technology assessment decision for one molecule across the agencies in our archive, and compares them. The comparison is the point: each agency publishes its own verdict, none publishes how that verdict sits against the others.
What the record shows
On the same population the two systems disagree outright: NICE (England) recorded recommended in TA531, while PBAC (Australia) recorded not recommended for “Non-small cell lung cancer”.
NYE METODER (Norway) has been easier on pembrolizumab than on its own caseload: it refused 4 of 26 decisive submissions here (15%), against a base rate of 37% across everything it has assessed.
Assessment has run over 11.2 years, from 2015 at PBAC (Australia) to 24 Sep 2026 at AWMSG (Wales).
SMC (Scotland) changed its position: not recommended on 9 Nov 2015, recommended by 13 Apr 2026, after a resubmission.
No assessment is on file from TLV (Sweden), which is among the eight highest-volume agencies here.
Not every gap is a refusal: for pembrolizumab, 3 submissions were never made and 4 were withdrawn or terminated before a decision — an outcome set by the company rather than the assessor.
The file is active: 180 of 371 records date from 2023 or later.
The programme is broad: 117 distinct indication wordings are recorded for pembrolizumab by the agencies that label one in English (AWMSG, NICE, PBAC and SMC).
55 of these 371 records carry a year of decision but no day, so any interval quoted here is approximate to within a year.
PBAC (Australia) was first to assess pembrolizumab, in 2015; HIRA (South Korea) did not open a file until 4 Sep 2025 — an unusually long tail of 10.2 years between the earliest and latest system to look at it.
The record arrives in waves: 12 separate years each carry two or more decisions, spread across 12 years in total.
14 of the 15 agencies here assessed pembrolizumab more than once, PBAC (Australia) most often at 55 entries — repeat review is the norm for this molecule rather than the exception.
pembrolizumab has been through 15 of the 18 agencies in this archive — among the most widely assessed molecules on file.
The full ledger for pembrolizumab reads 163 recommended, 58 not recommended, 57 restricted and 31 deferred to NICE, with 62 in other categories.
Decisions on file
| Agency | Date | Indication as recorded | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYE METODER (Norway) | 23 Aug 2026 | I kombinasjon med pemetreksed og platinabasert kjemoterapi til førstelinjebehandling av voksne med inoperabelt ikke-epit… | not introduced | source |
| NICE (England) | 14 Jul 2026 | NICE TA1177 | published appraisal | source |
| PBAC (Australia) | 2026 | Gastroesophageal cancers | In March 2026, the PBAC extended its May 2022 recommendation for this drug for a further 1… | source |
| AOTMIT (Poland) | 5 Feb 2026 | Keytruda reimbursement recommendation | recommended conditionally | source |
| PHARMAC (New Zealand) | 10 Sep 2024 | Hodgkin's lymphoma, relapsed or refractory, ASCT ineligible patients | funding application decided · decision reached | source |
366 further decisions for pembrolizumab, across 15 agencies, are not shown here. They include the most recent record on file, 24 Sep 2026 from AWMSG (Wales); its outcome is in the subscriber dataset. They link to 273 further source documents.
Related molecules
- nivolumab — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
- daratumumab — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
- rituximab — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
- bevacizumab — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
- blinatumomab — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
- trastuzumab deruxtecan — same ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics
Coverage: 371 decisions for pembrolizumab from 15 agencies, 2015 to 2026. Data to 7 Sep 2026. ATC class L01F — Antineoplastics. How this page is produced. Compiled by Altima Partners; queries: sales@altimapartners.co.uk.