BCD-237 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) being developed as a biosimilar to Kadcyla® (united states adopted names: trastuzumab emtansine, international nonproprietary name).

A monoclonal antibody is a laboratory-engineered protein that mimics the natural antibodies of the immune system and is designed to bind to a specific target in the human body¹. In the investigational drug BCD-237, a humanized monoclonal antibody (immunoglobulin G1) targeting HER2² is conjugated with a tubulin polymerization inhibitor (a cytotoxic agent).

BCD-237 is one of BIOCAD’s drug products under clinical development.

The mechanism of action of the investigational product involves binding of the humanized monoclonal antibody to the HER2 receptor, thereby tagging the tumor cell for immune system recognition, while the cytotoxic agent may potentially induce tumor cell death³.

1. Weiner L. M., Surana R., Wang S. Monoclonal antibodies: versatile platforms for cancer immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2010;10(5):317–27.
2. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.
3. LoRusso P. M., Weiss D., Guardino E., Girish S., Sliwkowski M. X. Trastuzumab emtansine: a unique antibody-drug conjugate in development for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2011; 17 (20): 6437-47.

This website section includes information about an investigational medicinal product for human use.