Pembrolizumab

Pembrolizumab?
Monoclonal antibody
Type Whole antibody
Source Humanized (from mouse)
Target PD-1
Clinical data
  • not for pregnant women
  • Approved (US)
IV
Identifiers
1374853-91-4
None
Chemical data
Formula C6504H10004N1716O2036S46 (peptide)
146.3 kDa (peptide)

Pembrolizumab (formerly MK-3475 and lambrolizumab, trade name Keytruda[1]) is a drug marketed by Merck that targets the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor. The drug is intended for use in treating metastatic melanoma.[2][3] Pembrolizumab was invented by Gregory Carven, Hans van Eenennaam and John Dulos at Organon Biosciences which later became Schering Plough Research Institute and then Merck & Co.[4]

On September 4, 2014 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab under the FDA Fast Track Development Program. It is approved for use following treatment with ipilimumab, or after treatment with ipilimumab and a BRAF inhibitor in patients who carry a BRAF mutation.[5]

The drug is also in Phase II clinical trials for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with oligometastatic disease. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Statement on a Nonproprietary Name Adopted by the USAN Council" (PDF). November 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ Hamid, O; Robert, C; Daud, A; Hodi, F. S.; Hwu, W. J.; Kefford, R; Wolchok, J. D.; Hersey, P; Joseph, R. W.; Weber, J. S.; Dronca, R; Gangadhar, T. C.; Patnaik, A; Zarour, H; Joshua, A. M.; Gergich, K; Elassaiss-Schaap, J; Algazi, A; Mateus, C; Boasberg, P; Tumeh, P. C.; Chmielowski, B; Ebbinghaus, S. W.; Li, X. N.; Kang, S. P.; Ribas, A (2013). "Safety and tumor responses with lambrolizumab (anti-PD-1) in melanoma". New England Journal of Medicine 369 (2): 134–44. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1305133. PMID 23724846.
  3. ↑ article from a news website (ynetnews.com, June 9, 2014)
  4. ↑ http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=carven.INNM.&OS=IN/carven&RS=IN/carven
  5. ↑ FDA Approves Anti-PD-1 Drug for Advanced Melanoma
  6. ↑ Press release, "Penn Medicine's New Immunotherapy Study Will Pit PD-1 Inhibitor Against Advanced Lung Cancer", February 4, 2015.