Both are checkpoint inhibitors. Here is how Keytruda and Imfinzi compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
KEYTRUDA is a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)-blocking antibody indicated: Melanoma for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. ( 1.1 ) for the adjuvant treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with Stage IIB, IIC, or III melanoma following complete resection. ( 1.1 ) Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy, as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. ( 1.2 ) in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or paclitaxel protein-bound, as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC. ( 1.2 ) as a single agent for the first-line treatment of patients with NSCLC expressing PD-L1 [Tumor Proportion Score (TPS) ≥1%] as determined by an FDA-authorized test, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor ab…
IMFINZI is a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocking antibody indicated: • in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by IMFINZI continued as a single agent as adjuvant treatment after surgery, for the treatment of adult patients with resectable (tumors ≥ 4 cm and/or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and no known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements. ( 1.1 ) • as a single agent, for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, Stage III NSCLC whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy. ( 1.1 ) • in combination with tremelimumab-actl and platinum-based chemotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic NSCLC with no sensitizing EGFR mutations or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. ( 1.1…
12.1 Mechanism of Action Binding of the PD-1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, to the PD-1 receptor found on T cells, inhibits T cell proliferation and cytokine production. Upregulation of PD-1 ligands occurs in some tumors and signaling through this pathway can contribute to inhibition of active T-cell immune surveillance of tumors. Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-1 receptor and blocks its interaction with PD-L1 and PD-L2, releasing PD-1 pathway-mediated inhibition of the immune response, including the anti-tumor immune response. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, blocking PD-1 activity resulted in decreased tumor growth. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, combination treat…
12.1 Mechanism of Action Expression of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) can be induced by inflammatory signals (e.g., IFN-gamma) and can be expressed on both tumor cells and tumor-associated immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. PD-L1 blocks T-cell function and activation through interaction with PD-1 and CD80 (B7.1). By binding to its receptors, PD-L1 reduces cytotoxic T-cell activity, proliferation, and cytokine production. Durvalumab is a human immunoglobulin G1 kappa (IgG1κ) monoclonal antibody that binds to PD-L1 and blocks the interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 and CD80 (B7.1). Blockade of PD-L1/PD-1 and PD-L1/CD80 interactions releases the inhibition of immune responses, with…
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Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by the Priya Life Science editorial team, led by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 5 Aug 2026.