Vorasidenib (AG-881)

Mechanism of action

From the NCI Drug Dictionary: An orally available inhibitor of mutated forms of both isocitrate dehydrogenase type 1 (IDH1, IDH1 [NADP+] soluble) in the cytoplasm and type 2 (IDH2, isocitrate dehydrogenase [NADP+], mitochondrial) in the mitochondria, with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon administration, vorasidenib specifically inhibits mutant forms of IDH1 and IDH2, thereby inhibiting the formation of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) from alpha-ketoglutarate (a-KG). This prevents 2HG-mediated signaling and leads to both an induction of cellular differentiation and an inhibition of cellular proliferation in tumor cells expressing IDH mutations. In addition, vorasidenib is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Preliminary data

Low-grade glioma

1. INDIGO: Mellinghoff IK, van den Bent MJ, Blumenthal DT, Touat M, Peters KB, Clarke J, Mendez J, Yust-Katz S, Welsh L, Mason WP, Ducray F, Umemura Y, Nabors B, Holdhoff M, Hottinger AF, Arakawa Y, Sepulveda JM, Wick W, Soffietti R, Perry JR, Giglio P, de la Fuente M, Maher EA, Schoenfeld S, Zhao D, Pandya SS, Steelman L, Hassan I, Wen PY, Cloughesy TF. Vorasidenib in IDH1- or IDH2-Mutant Low-Grade Glioma. N Engl J Med. 2023 Aug 17;389(7):589-601. Epub 2023 Jun 4. link to original article PubMed NCT04164901

Also known as

• Code name: AG-881