The latest checkpoint inhibitor to be approved is AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab), a monoclonal antibody directed against PD-L1, which is expressed on cancer cells.
Figure 1. PD-1 / PD-L1 axis. http://www.cell.com/trends/molecular-medicine/references/S1471-4914(14)00183-X
PD-L1 inhibitor, avelumab (Bavencio – Merck KGaA and Pfizer) will be combined with EpiThany’s EP-101 STEMVAC in patients with breast cancer. Avelumab was recently approved for Merckel cell carcinoma. STEMVAC is a poly-epitope DNA plasmid vaccine in the midst of a phase 1 trial of the vaccine in patients with Stage III or IV patients with breast cancer who have no evidence of disease (NED) or stable bone disease, only. The goals of the study are: Continue reading
Avelumab (Bavencio) is a PD-L1 inhibitor that was approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Continue reading