Opdivo is an Anti-PD1, there are many others by the big players. In a phase II trial the drug showed that - based on 11 months of follow-up - 41% of patients treated with biweekly Opdivo (nivolumab) should still be alive after 12 months, which compares favourably with historical survival rates of between 5% and 18%.
BMS' PD-1 blocker Opdivo aces lung cancer trial - PMLiVE
The immune system depends on multiple checkpoints or ''immunological brakes'' to avoid overactivation of the immune system on healthy cells. Tumor cells often take advantage of these checkpoints to escape detection by the immune system. CTLA-4 and PD-1 are checkpoints that have been studied as targets for cancer therapy. CTLA-4 has been shown to be aberrantly upregulated and present on the surface of T cells in certain cancers, dampening T-cell activation in response to tumor cells. PD-1 is another immunologic checkpoint that has been found to be upregulated in certain tumors; it inhibits T-cell function contributing to the tumor’s ability to evade the immune system. Inhibiting a checkpoint (ie, ''releasing the brakes'') on the immune system may enhance the anti-tumor T-cell response. This class of therapy has shown efficacy in cancer and clinical trials are ongoing.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
