What Is in Yervoy?

A healthcare provider may prescribe Yervoy™ (ipilimumab) to help improve survival in adults with advanced melanoma skin cancer. But what is in Yervoy and how does it work?

 

Yervoy belongs to a group of medicines called monoclonal antibodies. An antibody is a protein made by the immune system. Antibodies bind to substances in the body called antigens. Yervoy is a synthetic antibody that binds to and blocks the actions of an antigen called the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4).

 

CTLA-4 normally inhibits T cells, a type of white blood cell that protects the body against disease by destroying infected cells, including cancer cells. By inhibiting T cells, CTLA-4 slows down the immune system's ability to attack cancerous cells. When CTLA-4 is blocked by Yervoy, T cells increase in numbers and become active, giving the body a better chance at fighting melanoma cancer cells.