Is Xalkori the same as Opdivo or Keytruda?
Xalkori is not the same as Opdivo or Keytruda, but all three are prescription drugs used to treat serious cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or lymphoma (a type of blood cancer). Xalkori is an oral medicine, but Opdivo and Keytruda are given as intravenous (IV) infusions.
- Xalkori is an oral medicine used to treat three types of cancers with genetic mutations: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a type of blood cancer, and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMT), a type of solid tumor that may occur in the lungs, abdomen or pelvis area.
- Opdivo and Keytruda are both used to treat many different types of cancers, from serious skin cancer, to lung cancer, to blood cancers like lymphoma. Both are given as an infusion into your vein by a healthcare provider.
Xalkori (generic name: crizotinib) is considered a targeted drug therapy known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It kills cancer cells by targeting a specific area in the cell that leads to the cancer.
Opdivo (nivolumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab) are biologic medicines called immune checkpoint inhibitors. They work in cancer by helping your own immune system to fight the cancer.
References
- Xalkori (crizotinib) prescribing information. Sept 2023. Pfizer Inc. New York, NY. Accessed Sept. 18, 2023 at http://labeling.pfizer.com/showlabeling.aspx?id=676
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