What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Pembrolizumab and pomalidomide
Pomalidomide's FDA label of February 26, 2025 names pembrolizumab in its warnings and precautions section; the pembrolizumab label PlainMeds reads does not name pomalidomide. The pomalidomide label: “Increased Mortality: Observed in patients with MM when pembrolizumab was added to dexamethasone and a thalidomide analogue.”
Check it at the source: the pembrolizumab FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 10, 2026, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC); the pomalidomide FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 26, 2025, Celgene Corporation).
What does the pembrolizumab label say about pomalidomide?
Pembrolizumab's label (effective July 10, 2026) does not name pomalidomide in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (KEYTRUDA), Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, effective July 10, 2026 (SPL set 9333c79b-d487-4538-a9f0-71b91a02b287), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the pomalidomide label say about pembrolizumab?
Pomalidomide label, warnings and precautionsIncreased Mortality: Observed in patients with MM when pembrolizumab was added to dexamethasone and a thalidomide analogue ( 5.4 ).
Source: FDA drug label (Pomalyst), NDA204026 (Bristol), as published by Celgene Corporation, effective February 26, 2025 (SPL set 2b25ef01-5c9e-11e1-b86c-0800200c9a66), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Pembrolizumab | Pomalidomide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Lung cancer, Colorectal cancer, Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, Breast cancer | Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | n/a | n/a |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once