Is Vepotolizumab/Urova an immunotherapy or a targeted drug?

Polatuzumab (Polatuzumab) is an innovative drug that has attracted much attention in the field of hematological tumors in recent years. Its positioning is often confusing. From the analysis of research and development principles and clinical applications, this drug is actually a typical representative of antibody conjugate drugs (ADC). It not only reflects the accuracy of targeted drugs, but also has a certain connection with immunotherapy. The core of velpotuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that can recognize the CD79b antigen on the surface of B cells. This target is in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ( It is highly expressed in malignant tumors such as DLBCL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and almost does not exist in non-pathological tissues, so the drug has extremely high targeting characteristics.

Different from simple immune checkpoint inhibitors, it does not work by activatingT cells or restoring immune recognition functions. Instead, after the antibody partially binds to tumor cells, it releases the bound chemical toxin monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), directly blocking the formation of microtubules in tumor cells, blocking cell division and eventually dying. This dual design of "antibody + toxin" not only retains the specificity of immune antibodies, but also enhances the cytotoxic effect. It is a typical targeted delivery therapy.

From the perspective of immunological classification, vepotuzumab is not equivalent to immune checkpoint inhibitors (such as PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies), but because it is derived from monoclonal antibody technology, it is still a product derived from the immunotherapy platform, so clinical literature sometimes classifies it as a broad immunotherapy drug. However, under a more strict definition, it should be regarded as an ADC targeted drug.

In clinical application, velpotuzumab is often used in combination with rituximab and bendamustine to treat patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL. Compared with chemotherapy alone, the response rate and survival benefit of the combination regimen were significantly improved.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/polivy.html