FDA-Approved Medical Treatments for Kidney Cancer
The table below lists the FDA-approved medical treatments for kidney cancer, including generic and brand names of the drug, when it was approved, the manufacturer(s) or distributor (if different from the manufacturer), the mechanism of action, and how it is administered.
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Approved | Manufacturer or Distributor | Compound | Given |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| interleukin-2 | Proleukin | May 1992 | Novartis/Prometheus | cytokine | IV infusion |
| sorafenib | Nexavar | Dec 2005 | Bayer/Onyx | TKI | orally |
| sunitinib | Sutent | Jan 2006 | Pfizer | TKI | orally |
| temsirolimus | Torisel | May 2007 | Pfizer | mTOR inhibitor | IV infusion |
| everolimus | Afinitor | Mar 2009 | Novartis | mTOR inhibitor | orally |
| bevacizumab | Avastin | July 2009 | Genentech | monoclonal antibody | IV infusion |
| pazopanib | Votrient | Oct 2009 | GlaxoSmithKline | TKI | orally |
| axitinib | Inlyta | Jan 2012 | Pfizer | TKI | orally |
| nivolumab | Opdivo | Nov 2015 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | monoclonal antibody | IV infusion |
| cabozantinib | Cabometyx | Apr 2016 | Exelixis | TKI | orally |
| lenvatinib* | Lenvima | May 2016 | Eisai Global | TKI | orally |
| nivolumab** ipilimumab** |
Opdivo Yervoy |
Apr 2018 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | monoclonal antibody | IV infusion |
| pembrolizumab*** axitinib*** |
Keytruda Inlyta |
Apr 2019 Jan 2012 |
Merck Pfizer |
monoclonal antibody TKI |
IV infusion orally |
| avelumab† axitinib |
Bevancio Inlyta |
May 2019 Jan 2012 |
Pfizer Pfizer |
monoclonal antibody TKI |
IV infusion orally |
Please note: all treatments included were tested almost exclusively on clear cell patients, but some of these drugs have also shown efficacy in papillary cell carcinoma and other types of kidney cancer.
* Lenvatinib is approved in combination with everolimus.
**Both nivolumab and ipilimumab are monoclonal antibodies, given as IV infusions. The approval is for the two drugs in combination.
*** Approval for pembrolizumab is given for its combination with axitinib, which itself was approved as a monotherapy in 2012. The combination was approved in April 2019.
† Approval for avelumab is given for its combination with axitinib. The combination was approved in May 2019.
TKI
A TKI is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that promote cell growth and division, which in turn promotes tumor growth. A TKI is a chemical that is designed to reduce the effect of tyrosine kinases by blocking their activity, consequently reducing the nutrients that feed the tumor cells. TKIs are also called targeted therapies.
Monoclonal Antibody
A monoclonal antibody is a protein, produced in a laboratory, is designed to, in this case, bind with and destroy cancer cells. They can be used alone or can be manufactured to carry toxins or other substances that will assist in killing the tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies have high specificity in that they are designed to bind only with specific cells, thus reducing side effects.
mTOR Inhibitor
An mTOR inhibitor is a protein that blocks the activity of another protein called mTOR, which regulates cell growth, proliferation and survival. mTOR promotes the growth of new blood vessels, which are necessary for tumor growth.
