(anti-PD-1) immunotherapy tagged posts

A first-of-its-kind (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was approved today by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as first-line treatment for metastatic melanoma — allowing greater access to this therapy for patients without having to previously receive other prior treatments.

Co-developed by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer member Dr. Antoni Ribas, the drug pembrolizumab has signaled a paradigm shift in the way melanoma is treated. The protein works by blocking the immune system’s brakes, thereby allowing its T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) originally received accelerated approval by the FDA in 2014 for metastatic melanoma...