Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Drugs in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are widely used in the diagnosis of diseases, detection of marker molecules and in therapy. The mAb drugs are increasingly used to treat hypersensitivity, autoimmune diseases, transplantation rejection and more importantly in cancer therapy. Although the application of mAbs in the treatment of infectious diseases is limited, the wide acceptance of these drugs in cancer therapy is remarkable. As of 2011, at least 11 FAB approved mAb drugs are being used for cancer treatment. The leading mAb drugs used in cancer therapy include rituximab, trastuzumab, alemtuzumab, ibritumomab, bevacizumab, cetuximab. Avastin (bevacizumab) a broad spectrum mAb used in colon cancer therapy and Rituximab (rituximab) for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma had sales of more than $6 billion. In 2010, the mAb drug market was worth $44 billion. It is estimated that all medical biotech products including mAb drugs constitute 25% of total pharma market in near future.

Keywords: Monoclonal antibody, cancer therapy, trastuzumab, bevacizumab, rituximab, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, colo-rectal cancer