Source: IE
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: Recent investigations have exposed a dangerous counterfeit market for Keytruda in India, where hospital-level breaches and high drug prices have led to fakes being sold to desperate patients.
About Keytruda:
What it is?
- Keytruda is the brand name for Pembrolizumab, a revolutionary immunotherapy drug used to treat various advanced and aggressive cancers.
- Unlike traditional treatments that attack the tumor directly, Keytruda is a checkpoint inhibitor that helps the body’s own immune system identify and destroy cancer cells.
Developed By: It is manufactured by the U.S.-based global pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada).
Aim: The primary goal of Keytruda is to remove the brakes on the immune system. Specifically, it seeks to prevent cancer cells from hiding from the body’s T-cells, thereby allowing the immune system to launch an effective attack against the tumor.
Key Features of Keytruda:
- Mechanism of Action: It binds to a protein called PD-1 on the surface of T-cells. This prevents the T-cells from binding with PD-L1 on cancer cells, a handshake that usually allows cancer to evade the immune system.
- Broad Spectrum Utility: First approved for advanced skin cancer (melanoma) in 2014, it is now used for lung, cervical, renal cell, and aggressive breast cancers, among others.
- Targeted Therapy: Unlike chemotherapy, which kills both healthy and cancerous cells, Keytruda is highly targeted, meaning it generally spares healthy tissue and reduces certain side effects.
- Monoclonal Antibody: It belongs to a class of laboratory-made molecules designed to restore, enhance, or mimic the immune system’s attack on cancer cells.
- Patient Access Programme: In India, Merck provides a buy five, get 30 free scheme to help eligible patients (those with insurance/income below ₹25 lakh) manage the high cost of treatment.
Implications for India’s Cancer Fight
- Rising Burden: With India’s cancer cases projected to surge by nearly 74% by 2045, drugs like Keytruda are critical for managing the increasing healthcare crisis.
- Affordability vs. Access: The extreme cost creates a dual-tier health system where only the wealthy or those with specialized insurance can access top-tier care, leading to the rise of dangerous counterfeit markets.
