FDA-Approved Drugs for Hematological Malignancies-The Last Decade Review

Simple Summary Hematological malignancies are diseases involving the abnormal production of blood cells. The aim of the study is to collect comprehensive information on new drugs used in the treatment of blood cancers which have introduced into therapy in the last decade. The approved drugs were analyzed for their structures and their biological activity mechanisms. Hematological malignancies, also referred to as blood cancers, are a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth and persisting in the blood, lymph nodes, or bone marrow. The development of new targeted therapies including small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, bispecific T cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, recombinant immunotoxins, and, finally, Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cells has improved the clinical outcomes for blood cancers. In this review, we summarized 52 drugs that were divided into small molecule and macromolecule agents, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the period between 2011 and 2021 for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Forty of them have also been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). We analyzed the FDA-approved drugs by investigating both their structures and mechanisms of action. It should be emphasized that the number of targeted drugs was significantly higher (46 drugs) than chemotherapy agents (6 drugs). We highlight recent advances in the design of drugs that are used to treat hematological malignancies, which make them more effective and less toxic.

Automated summary

This article summarizes the new drugs used in the treatment of hematological malignancies in the past decade, including small molecule and macromolecule agents. The development of these drugs has improved the clinical outcomes for blood cancers.