Yes, it does….
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a class of biologic drugs that act on specific antigenic receptors to stimulate or suppress the immune system. They are used to treat lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, breast cancer, and several other autoimmune conditions.
In terms of structure, they are identical to natural antibodies. However, their initial sources were not entirely human. Based on their source of origin, monoclonal antibody drugs receive distinct suffixes in their names, as follows:
- Murine based (100%
) - omab. Eg: Tositumomab - Chimeric ( 75% human+ 25% mouse) - ximab Eg: Infliximab, Rituximab
- Humanized ( 90-95% human) - zumba Eg: Trastuzumab, Omalizumab, Pembrolizumab.
- Fully human ( 100% human) - umab Eg: Adalimumab.
Thus, the suffix in the drug name itself indicates its origin.