What are the names of the PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitor drugs used in cancer treatment?

PD-1 and PD-L1 Inhibitor Drugs in Cancer Treatment

The FDA-approved PD-1 inhibitors are pembrolizumab, nivolumab, cemiplimab, and dostarlimab; the PD-L1 inhibitors are atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab. 1

PD-1 Inhibitors

Currently Approved Agents

• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck) - FDA-approved PD-1 inhibitor used across multiple cancer types including melanoma, NSCLC, urothelial carcinoma, and gastric cancer 1, 2
• Nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb) - FDA-approved PD-1 inhibitor indicated for melanoma, NSCLC, renal cell carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, and other malignancies 1, 3
• Cemiplimab (Libtayo, Sanofi) - PD-1 inhibitor approved for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and other indications 1
• Dostarlimab (Jemperli, GSK) - PD-1 inhibitor with particular utility in MSI-H/dMMR tumors 1

Subcutaneous Formulation

• Nivolumab and hyaluronidase-nvhy is available as a subcutaneous injection that may substitute for IV nivolumab in monotherapy settings, but is not approved for concurrent use with ipilimumab 1

PD-L1 Inhibitors

Currently Approved Agents

• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq, Genentech) - FDA-approved PD-L1 inhibitor used in NSCLC, urothelial carcinoma, and other cancers 1
• Avelumab (Bavencio, Merck KGaA) - PD-L1 inhibitor approved for urothelial carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma 1
• Durvalumab (Imfinzi, AstraZeneca) - PD-L1 inhibitor indicated for NSCLC consolidation therapy and urothelial carcinoma 1

Additional Context on Mechanism

These agents work by blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint axis. PD-1 is a cell surface receptor on activated T cells that negatively regulates immune function, while PD-L1 is expressed on tumor cells and antigen-presenting cells 4. The interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibits T-cell-mediated tumor cell death, allowing cancer cells to evade immune surveillance 4. Blocking this interaction with checkpoint inhibitor antibodies restores T cell activation and enables immune-mediated killing of cancer cells 5, 4.

CTLA-4 Inhibitor (For Combination Therapy)

• Ipilimumab (Yervoy, Bristol Myers Squibb) - CTLA-4 inhibitor that blocks a different immune checkpoint and is frequently used in combination with PD-1 inhibitors, particularly nivolumab, for enhanced efficacy in melanoma and other cancers 1, 3

Emerging Agent

• Tislelizumab-jsgr - A newer PD-1 inhibitor approved for gastric cancer with PD-L1 CPS ≥1 1