Figitumumab is a monoclonal antibody

Monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific antibodies that are the same because they are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell....

 targeting the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor being investigated for the treatment of various types of cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

, for example adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma, also adrenal cortical carcinoma and adrenal cortex cancer, is an aggressive cancer originating in the cortex of the adrenal gland. Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare tumor, with incidence of 1-2 per million population annually...

 and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

This drug is being developed by Pfizer

Pfizer

Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...

.

Anti-cancer mechanism

See Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor role in cancer.

Clinical trials

The first phase III trial (for NSCLC) was suspended in December 2009 due to excess deaths but others continue.

It will be included in the forthcoming I-SPY2 breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

trial.