Canakinumab: Promises and Future in Cardiometabolic Diseases and Malignancy

Inflammation has proven in multiple studies to be responsible for the progression of cardiometabolic diseases and malignancies. The interleukin family has been critically associated with progression of atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and various malignancies. Given the advent of pharmacologic interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibition, this pathway can potentially be targeted to improve outcomes. In the recently concluded Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study (CANTOS) trial, investigators looked at the potential role of IL-1 (especially IL-1β) inhibition in halting the progression of atherosclerosis. In the subset analysis of the data from this trial, IL-1β inhibition with canakinumab was found to have beneficial effects in other cardiometabolic diseases characterized by inflammation, like diabetes, stroke, and chronic kidney disease, and also in patients with lung cancer. In this article, we will try to review the current literature on the role of canakinumab in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases and malignancies.