How Imbruvica works

Imbruvica is a brand (trade) name for ibrutinib, a medicine used to treat a variety of cancers and graft versus host diseases.

Ibruvica (ibrutinib) acts by preventing the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) enzyme from functioning. In some malignancies, particularly B-cell leukemias and lymphomas, BTK is a component of a critical signaling pathway. Imbruvica stops the signals that encourage cancerous cells to proliferate and divide uncontrollably by obstructing this pathway, ultimately leading to the death of diseased cells.

Imbruvica is a member of the group of drugs referred to as Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Another name for it is a targeted treatment.