Three things to know about antibody drug conjugates

Ahead of World Cancer Day on Sunday, this is a great time to reflect on the advances in oncology which are providing hope and momentum in the global fight against cancer. When I was in medical school and residency, I started learning about and caring for patients being treated with a promising approach to cancer care called “immunotherapy.” Over the next 15 years, immunotherapy has become the standard of care for patients with certain cancers and improved outcomes. Fast forward to today, and you may be hearing about “antibody drug conjugates,” or ADCs. While ADCs are not a new concept, there is a growing understanding and emerging science that has led to over a dozen approvals in just the last several years.

Here’s what you need to know:

ADCs have been called “smart bombs” designed to precisely target cancerous cells while sparing healthy ones. ADCs are chemotherapy drugs that are attached to a monoclonal antibody via a stable connector or linker. The antibody binds to the surface of the cancer cell and releases the chemotherapy once it is inside. In doing so, it delivers chemotherapy to the cancer target and avoids healthy cells. This means ADCs have a potential to cause fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapies, providing patients with a higher quality of life while improving outcomes. More than 100 of the cancer medicines currently in development are ADCs, and more advancements are expected in the next few years as biopharmaceutical researchers focus efforts on this exciting class of drugs.

ADCs are particularly promising for fighting solid tumors — such as ovarian, breast, or lung cancers. In the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, ADCs were highlighted as one of the leading advancements in cancer research and development. One study found that an ADC prolonged overall survival in advanced ovarian cancer patients by 33%. Participants in this study all had tumors with resistance to an initial course of chemotherapy.

ADCs are just one example of how biopharmaceutical companies lead in medical discovery and drug development that is helping patients live longer, healthier lives. There are currently more than 8,000 medicines in development across dozens of therapeutic areas, including cancers, chronic and rare diseases, mental illnesses and more. Of those, nearly 1,600 treatments and vaccines for cancer are in clinical trials or awaiting review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Decades of research and development have led to tremendous strides in the fight against cancer. The overall cancer mortality rate has declined 33% since its peak in 1991, with an estimated 4 million deaths averted over this period.

The science has never been more promising when it comes to treating — and even curing — diseases like cancer, but our work is far from done. Biopharmaceutical companies remain committed to delivering new medicines for patients and advocating for policies that will make this continued research possible.

Learn more about the fight against cancer at PhRMA.org/Cancer