With commercial insurance: Merck Co-pay Assistance Program for KEYTRUDA Injection 100 mg or KEYTRUDA QLEX — as little as $25 per dose, up to $25,000 a year. With Medicare: the Keytruda card can’t be used. 2 foundation funds are open today (as of October 12, 2026). See them by diagnosis below.
See what this patient owes after assistance →
14 assistance programs for Keytruda patients · 4 open today
Manufacturer savings, charitable foundations, and patient assistance programs.
Select the patient's insurance and diagnosis to see which programs apply.
Current status · Award amounts · Eligibility · Direct application links October 12, 2026
Checked September 28, 2026 · Source 1 ↗ · Source 2 ↗
Checked September 28, 2026 · Source ↗
Keytruda’s card can’t be used with Medicare. These funds may help. They open and close with donations, so call before telling a Keytruda patient no.
Checked September 28, 2026 · Source 1 ↗ · Source 2 ↗
Keytruda · Non-small cell lung cancer · Commercial insurance
Eligible patients may pay $25 per dose
Example · Keytruda · 200 mg · 200 units · commercial plan · deductible met · 20% coinsurance · allowed amounts at the Medicare reference rate
| Without assistance | With Merck Co-pay Assistance Program for KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) Injection 100 mg or KEYTRUDA QLEX | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug responsibility | $2,490.12 | $25.00 |
| Administration (96413) | $26.65 | $26.65 |
| Patient owes | $2,516.77 | $51.65 |
Estimated patient savings: $2,465.12
CareCost calculates the drug and administration lines using the patient’s payer rate and benefits; this example uses the Medicare rate as a reference.
Also available if this patient’s coverage falls short
Free Merck Patient Assistance Program for eligible patients
Change the diagnosis to see only the programs that apply to your patient.
| Task | ✓ |
|---|---|
| Find programs for the diagnosis | ✓ |
| See whether each program is open | ✓ |
| See maximum award | ✓ |
| Review key eligibility requirements | ✓ |
| Open the official application | ✓ |
| Calculate cost before assistance | ✓ |
| Apply the program benefit | ✓ |
| Calculate what the patient still owes | ✓ |
Commercial insurance — The Merck Co-pay Assistance Program covers eligible commercially insured patients. It caps the patient's cost at $25 for each KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX administration, up to $25,000 per patient per 12-month Eligibility Period, and does not cover the infusion or office-visit charge. View current program ↑
Medicare — Manufacturer copay savings cannot be used when government insurance is paying for Keytruda; the federal Anti-Kickback Statute is why, per HHS OIG guidance on copayment coupons. Diagnosis-specific charitable foundations cover copays or coinsurance when a fund is accepting applications; the Keytruda-eligible funds -- TotalAssist's NSCLC and RCC funds, HealthWell's RCC fund -- accept only Medicare, Medicaid, or TRICARE patients (check each fund's current status on the funds list). uninsured patients, some commercially insured patients who meet the program's rules and some Medicare patients who meet the program's rules who meet the income limit qualify for free drug through the Merck Patient Assistance Program. View current Medicare funds ↑
Why fund status matters — Foundation funds change between: Open accepting applications now · Waitlist not enrolling immediately · Closed not accepting new applications. Every CareCost program card shows the status and the date it was verified.
Why diagnosis matters — Oncology assistance funds are organized by cancer type, not by the drug alone. Two patients receiving Keytruda for different diagnoses -- non-small cell lung cancer versus renal cell carcinoma, for example -- qualify for different funds, because foundations fund specific cancers, not specific drugs.
Yes. Eligible commercially insured patients enrolled in the Merck Co-pay Assistance Program pay the first $25 of each KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX administration, up to $25,000 per patient per 12-month Eligibility Period. It does not cover the infusion or office-visit charge. Apply on the Merck Access Program ↗ Calculate cost with the program →
No. The Merck Co-pay Assistance Program is not valid for Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, VA, or other government insurance. Uninsured patients may qualify for free drug through the Merck Patient Assistance Program, and Medicare patients may qualify for an independent charitable fund when one is open for their diagnosis. Check current Medicare funds ↑
TotalAssist's Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer fund is limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE patients -- it does not accept commercial insurance (check each fund's current status on the funds list). Fund availability changes as foundations receive and exhaust funding. Check today's status ↑
Data current: programs verified Oct 12, 2026
The Merck Access Program (Co-pay Assistance Program and Patient Assistance Program for KEYTRUDA/KEYTRUDA QLEX) · TotalAssist (Patient Advocate Foundation) · HealthWell Foundation · The Assistance Fund · Good Days · CancerCare · PAN Foundation · Blood Cancer United. Every program links directly to its official source or application page.
Last program check: .
Reviewed September 9, 2026 by Erin Rose, CareCost Estimate founder. Methodology →
CareCost