DURVALUMAB Human anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody Immune checkpoint inhibitor Oncolytic

The successful development of compounds acting as immune checkpoint inhibitors in recent years has generated considerable interest in exploiting these targets. The prospect of targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), opened by preclinical data indicating that activation of PD-1 by its ligand programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) results in T-cell suppression, was boosted by the development and eventual launch of the anti-PD-1 human monoclonal antibody nivolumab. Now, the anti-PD-L1 human monoclonal antibody durvalumab has shown promise preclinically and clinically. The compound has demonstrated specificity for the PD-L1 without binding the other PD-1 ligand, PD-L2. In a study in patients with multiple types of solid tumors, durvalumab has been well tolerated and shown rapid and durable antitumor activity, with evidence indicating that PD-L1 status influences responses. Encouraging activity was noted in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Further clinical studies in these and other indications are planned, as are trials evaluating durvalumab in combination with other immune checkpoint inhibitors and other therapies.