LAG-3 Inhibitors
1 drugsAbout LAG-3
LAG-3 (Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3) is an immune checkpoint receptor on T cells that inhibits their activation. By acting as a brake on the immune system, LAG-3 prevents excessive immune responses and potential damage to healthy tissues.
Blocking LAG-3 can unleash T cell anti-tumor activity, allowing them to target cancer cells. Human genetic studies provide weak support for LAG-3 as a therapeutic target, with variants linked to Hashimoto's thyroiditis (score 0.27).
LAG-3 is targeted by one FDA-approved antibody drug, OPDUALAG, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. This drug has two indications and was first approved in 2022, representing the sole approved therapy in this space.
Human Genetic Evidence
Genetic evidence provides weak support for LAG-3, with a max score of 0.27 for Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Low genetic support suggests prioritizing indications with strong clinical rationale or biomarker evidence.
Evidence Across Diseases
7 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link LAG3 to 7 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for LAG3 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top Drugs
Bristol-Myers Squibb is the only company with an approved LAG-3 targeting drug.
High market concentration suggests significant entry barriers, requiring strong differentiation strategies.
Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Only one approved drug targets LAG-3, using antibody modality.
Explore alternative modalities like small molecules or bispecifics to differentiate from existing therapies.
Clinical Trials 1,428 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 580 | 247 | 141 | 186 | 64% |
| Phase 2 | 697 | 242 | 129 | 317 | 65% |
| Phase 3 | 136 | 54 | 15 | 67 | 78% |
| Phase 4 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 78% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
8 Phase 3 trials testing approved LAG-3 drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting LAG-3. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
Drug Approval Timeline (2022 - 2022)
The first and only LAG-3 targeting drug was approved in 2022.
Recent approval indicates an emerging market, but also a risk of rapid saturation if new drugs follow.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 1 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 1 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 1-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 1356 clinical trials targeting LAG-3.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities