Relatlimab

Relatlimab is a human IgG4 monoclonal antibody and novel immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3). It was the first commercially developed anti-LAG-3 antibody, entering clinical trials in 2013, and has garnered interest in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including leukemia and melanoma. As immune checkpoint inhibitors have limited efficacy when used alone, drugs like relatlimab have been trialed in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors - for example, PD-1 inhibitors like nivolumab or CTLA-4 inhibitors like ipilimumab - to enhance their efficacy.

Relatlimab received FDA approval in March 2022, alongside the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab in the combination product Opdualag (Bristol-Myers Squibb), for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma. It was the first anti-LAG-3 antibody demonstrate benefit in a Phase 3 study, as well as the first to receive FDA approval.