Description
Cemiplimab, sold under the brand name Libtayo, is a monoclonal antibody medication for the treatment of squamous cell skin cancer. Cemiplimab belongs to a class of drugs that binds to the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway.
The most common side effects include fatigue, rash, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain, and nausea.
In September 2018, it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating people with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) or locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation. It was approved for medical use in the European Union in June 2019. It was approved for medical use in Australia in July 2020.
Cemiplimab is the first FDA approval of a medication specifically for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).
