Is venetoclax/venetoclax a targeted drug or a traditional chemotherapy drug?

Venetoclax is a targeted drug whose mechanism of action is significantly different from traditional chemotherapy drugs. Traditional chemotherapy drugs typically target all rapidly dividing cells, whether they are cancer cells or not. Although this treatment method is effective on tumor cells, it often damages normal cells, leading to a series of side effects such as immunosuppression, anemia, hair loss, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

In contrast, targeted drugs such as venetoclax precisely target cancer cells by specifically targeting specific molecular mechanisms in tumor cells, thus minimizing damage to normal cells. The main function of venetoclax is to inhibit the BCL-2 protein so that cancer cells cannot escape the normal death mechanism. In many hematological tumors, the overexpression of BCL-2 protein is a key factor for tumor cells to escape death and continue to grow. Venetoclax blocks the function of this protein by binding to BCL-2, thereby triggering the self-destruction of tumor cells.

Due to the more specific effects of targeted drugs, venetoclax can usually avoid the wide range of side effects caused by chemotherapy during the treatment process, with higher treatment selectivity and less toxicity. For example, when treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), venetoclax can significantly reduce the bone marrow suppression caused by chemotherapy and reduce the damage to the immune system during treatment.

It should be noted that although venetoclax is a targeted drug, it is often used in combination with other treatments, especially in diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Venetoclax is often used in combination with chemotherapy drugs to enhance the therapeutic effect, especially if the patient is BCL-2 dependent. In general, venetoclax is a typical representative of targeted therapy, which mainly treats hematological tumors related to BCL-2 dependence through precise molecular targeting.

Reference materials:https://www.venclexta.com/