Your immune cells have an inherent braking system that uses specific proteins in the cells that act as "checkpoints,” and tell the immune cells when to stop attacking. In cancer however, these brakes may have engaged too early, before the immune cells did their job, allowing cancer cells to flourish.

Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors can be used to release the brakes on the immune system, allowing a stronger immune attack against cancer. This class of immunotherapy drugs include:

  • CTLA-4 inhibitors such as ipilimumab (Yervoy®) and tremelimumab (Imjudo).
  • PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), nivolumab (Opdivo®), atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) and durvalumab (Imfinzi).
  • Other checkpoint inhibitors, including ones targeting the immune proteins LAG-3, KIR, and TIM3 are currently in clinical development.

We also use immune modulators — drugs that essentially "step on the gas" of the immune response.

Become a patientFind a clinical trial

Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

  • melanoma
  • triple negative breast cancer
  • bladder and urinary tract cancer
  • kidney cancer
  • esophageal, stomach gastroesphageal junction cancers
  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • head and neck squamous cell cancer
  • cervical cancer
  • cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
  • MSI-H/dMMR colorectal, endometrial and other cancers
  • classical Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Merkel cell carcinoma

Opdivo (nivolumab)

  • melanoma
  • non-small cell cancer
  • renal cell carcinoma
  • stomach, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers
  • urothelial cancer
  • malignant pleural mesothelioma
  • head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
  • liver cancer
  • MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer
  • classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Yervoy (ipilimumab)

  • melanoma
  • kidney cancer
  • MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer
  • liver cancer
  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • malignant pleural mesothelioma
  • esophageal cancer

Imfinzi (durvalumab)

  • non small cell lung cancer
  • liver cancer
  • biliary tract cancers

Imjudo (tremelimumab)

  • liver cancer
  • non-small cell lung cancer

Tecentriq (atezolizumab)

  • non-small cell lung cancer

In the news