Keytruda vs. Bavencio

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Bavencio (avelumab) are types of monoclonal antibodies used to treat different types of cancer.

Keytruda is used to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma and disease progression following ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor.

Bavencio is used to treat adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

Side effects of Keytruda and Bavencio that are similar include fatigue/lack of energy, cough, shortness of breath, nausea, itching, decreased appetite, headache, constipation, joint pain, back pain, rash, and diarrhea.

Side effects of Keytruda that are different from Bavencio include loss of skin pigmentation (vitiligo).

Side effects of Bavencio that are different from Keytruda include musculoskeletal pain (neck pain, pain in extremities), infusion-related reactions (chills, fever, back pain, hypersensitivity reactions and low blood pressure), skin redness, swelling of the extremities, abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss, dizziness, and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Both Keytruda and Bavencio may interact with other drugs.

Common side effects of Keytruda include:

Side effects of Keytruda include:

• fatigue,
• cough,
• shortness of breath,
• nausea,
• itching,
• rash,
• loss of skin pigmentation (vitiligo),
• decreased appetite,
• headache,
• constipation,
• joint pain,
• back pain, and
• diarrhea.

Common side effects of Bavencio include:

• fatigue/lack of energy,
• musculoskeletal pain (back pain, neck pain, pain in extremities),
• diarrhea,
• nausea,
• infusion-related reactions (chills, fever, back pain, hypersensitivity reactions and low blood pressure),
• rash and skin redness,
• decreased appetite,
• swelling of the extremities,
• joint pain,
• constipation,
• abdominal pain,
• vomiting,
• itching,
• weight loss,
• cough,
• shortness of breath,
• dizziness,
• headache, and
• high blood pressure (hypertension).

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a monoclonal antibody used to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma and disease progression following ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor.

Bavencio (avelumab) injection is a programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) blocking antibody indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

Keytruda may interact with other drugs. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. Keytruda is not recommended for use during pregnancy; it may harm a fetus. It is unknown if this drug passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

Bavencio may interact with other drugs. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

The recommended dose of Keytruda is 2 mg/kg administered as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Administer a dose of 10 mg/kg Bavencio as an intravenous infusion over 60 minutes every 2 weeks. Premedicate with acetaminophen and an antihistamine for the first 4 infusions and subsequently as needed.