Camrelizumab: First Global Approval

Camrelizumab (AiRuiKa (TM)), a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor being developed by Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. Ltd, recently received conditional approval in China for the treatment of relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma. The drug is also being investigated as a treatment for various other malignancies, including B cell lymphoma, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, nasopharyngeal cancer and non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of camrelizumab leading to this first approval for classical Hodgkin lymphoma.