immune checkpoint inhibitors: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors
21 September 2023
Immune check-point inhibitors (ICIs) are monoclonal antibodies, used for immunotherapy in the oncology field. ICIs block proteins that stop the immune system from attacking the cancer cells. Most known class representatives are PD-1 inhibitors and PD-L1 inhibitors. ICIs have been approved to treat a variety of cancers and many ICIs are under development. The WHO Essential Medicines List (EML) committee recognised their importance as a therapeutic class. Some of them are listed on the EML for the treatment of skin melanoma. In several cases, the WHO EML Committee recommended to continue working on strategies to improve the affordability of these medicines and also suggested some for consideration for licensing by MPP. Moreover, MPP technology transfer support could support a successful implementation by reducing development time and costs of biosimilar versions for use in LMICs.â MPP has prioritized ICIs as a class, and specific molecules, such as pembrolizumab, are listed here as examples of this effort.