Immune checkpoints are the regulators of immune activation. They play a key role in maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. Immune checkpoint activators are small molecules responsible for maintenance, modulation, and regulation of immune responses. Its significance in immune-therapeutics is backed by its functionality to activate the immune checkpoint proteins that are down-regulated by tumors, leading to the activation of the immune system as a response to combat the tumor. The recent trend with Immune checkpoint activators is their combined use with chemotherapy. These acts on certain immune cells that need to be activated at certain or specific checkpoints to start an immune response.
The therapeutic development based on Immune Checkpoints Activators deals with around 70+ active pipeline drugs including major products of Apexigen’s (APX005M), Amgen’s (Conatumumab), Bristol-Myer Squibb’s (Urelumab) and Nektar’s (NKTR-214). These products are in the way of approaching the ICA market very soon in the coming years. Other emerging products of Immune Checkpoint Activators are also under development in clinical and non-clinical phases. The broad range of targets under Immune Checkpoint Activators including 4-1BB, GITR, CD137, TNFRSF, OX40, CD27, CD28, Interleukin, HVEM, ICOS, CD40, TRAIL receptor, and CD122. They have majorly influenced the wide range of development for this mechanism of action. These targets have been greatly focused by the companies to manufacture drugs for the treatment of a large number of different indications.
The current pipeline therapeutics of Immune Checkpoint Activators is vast and strong. The development of efficient and advanced medications by various pharmaceutical companies. Apogenix has a maximum number of ICA products under development; followed by MedImmune, Genentech, Bristol-Myer-Squibb, Aligator, and Agenus. Each company having more than one product under development. This will greatly influence the future market scenario of Immune Checkpoint Activators. The recent collaborations, licensing opportunities and other development activities focusing on the advanced development of ICA therapies has also accelerated the development process by the companies. The current pipeline scenario of ICA market is broad and is growing at a fast pace with the focus on a large number of therapeutic targets for a wide range of indications.
