# Axitinib

Source: https://onco.cc/drugs/axitinib/  
OnCo record `axitinib` (Treatment). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Axitinib is a selective VEGF-receptor pill, now given mainly with pembrolizumab or avelumab as first-line kidney cancer treatment.

## Summary

Axitinib is a potent, selective inhibitor of VEGFR1-3 that blocks the angiogenic signalling clear-cell kidney cancers depend on. In AXIS (2011) it gave PFS 6.7 versus 4.7 months against sorafenib in second line, earning approval in 2012. Its main use now is first line in combination: it was the partner in KEYNOTE-426 with pembrolizumab, which improved OS against sunitinib (final medians 47.2 versus 40.8 months; PFS 15.7 versus 11.1 months), and in JAVELIN Renal 101 with avelumab, which improved PFS. Dosing starts at 5 mg twice daily and is titrated to 7 then 10 mg if blood pressure allows; its short half-life permits titration and rapid washout, which helps distinguish immune hepatitis from TKI hepatitis. Diarrhoea (55%) and hypertension (40%) are the common effects. Axitinib is the anti-angiogenic pill most often paired with immunotherapy at the start of kidney cancer treatment.

## Fields

- Kind: Treatment
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-07
- Brand: Inlyta
- Modality: Small-molecule kinase inhibitor (VEGFR)
- Mechanism: Potent selective VEGFR1-3 inhibitor.
- Approvals: US 2012: Advanced RCC after one prior systemic therapy; US 2019: First-line advanced RCC with pembrolizumab or avelumab
- Dosing: Oral; 5 mg twice daily; titrate to 7 then 10 mg if tolerated (no hypertension)

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axitinib
- FDA label (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?query=Axitinib

## Connected records

- cancers: [Adenoid cystic carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/adenoid-cystic-carcinoma/), [Clear cell renal cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/clear-cell-rcc/), [Mucosal melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mucosal-melanoma/), [Renal cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/rcc/), [Salivary gland cancers](https://onco.cc/cancers/salivary-gland/)
- technologies: [Anti-angiogenic therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/antiangiogenic/), [Small-molecule kinase inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/kinase-inhibitors/)
- targets: [VEGF / VEGFR](https://onco.cc/targets/vegf/)
- companies: [Pfizer (incl. Seagen)](https://onco.cc/companies/pfizer/)
- trials: [A Study of BL-B01D1+TKI±Pembrolizumab in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06962787/), [A Study of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations With Axitinib in Participants With Untreated Locally Advanced Unresectable or Metastatic Renal Cel](https://onco.cc/trials/nct05805501/), [Continued Access Study for Participants Deriving Benefit in Pfizer-Sponsored Avelumab Parent Studies That Are Closing](https://onco.cc/trials/nct05059522/), [KEYNOTE-426](https://onco.cc/trials/keynote-426/), [Symbiotic-GU-08: A Study to Learn About the Medicine Called PF-08634404 Dosed Alone and in Combination With Other Anticancer Therapies in Adults With ](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07227415/), [TAPUR (Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry)](https://onco.cc/trials/tapur/)
- pairings: [IMDC risk → first-line regimen choice (RCC)](https://onco.cc/pairings/risk-directed-first-line-rcc/)
- key papers: [KEYNOTE-426: pembrolizumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib for advanced renal cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-keynote-426-nejm-2019/)
- pathways: [Renal cell carcinoma (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/renal-cell-carcinoma-signalling/), [The angiogenic switch & tumour vessels](https://onco.cc/pathways/angiogenic-switch/)

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