Table 1.

Molecule targeted drugs for the treatment of HCC

Drug	Molecular targets	Pharmacology	Treatment	Registrat
				approved treatment in China	approval date in China	approved treatment globally	global approval date
Sorafenib	BRAF, c-KIT, FLT-3, VEGFR-2, 3, and PDGFR-p	LMW-TKI	1st	HCC	Jun 2008	HCC	Nov 2007
Lenvatinib	VEGFR-1–3, FGFR-1–4, PDGFR-α, RET, and KIT	LMW-TKI	1st	HCC	Sep 2018	HCC	Aug 2018
Regorafenib	VEGFR-1–3,TIE-2, FGFR-1–2, KIT, and RAF	LMW-TKI	2nd	HCC	Dec 2017	HCC	Apr 2017
Cabozantinib	VEGFR-1–3, C-MET, AXL, KIT, RET, FLT3,and TIE-2	LMW-TKI	2nd		−	HCC	Jan 2019
Ramucirumab	VEGFR-2	Monoclonal antibody	2nd		−	HCC	May 2019
Apatinib	VEGFR-2	LMW-TKI	2nd	HCC	Dec 2020	Orphan Drug Designation (FDA) for adenoid cystic carcinoma	Feb 2021
Donafenib	Raf-1, mVEGFR-2, mVEGFR-3, and B-RAF	LMW-MKI	1st	IND application for late-stage gastrointestinal tumors	Aug 2020	−	−
Anlotinib	VEGFR, FGFR, PDGFR, and c-kit	LMW-MKI	2nd 3rd	NSCLC and sarcoma	Jun 2019	−	−
Bevacizumab + atezolizumab	VEGFR-2, VEGF-A, and VEGF	Monoclonal antibody	1st	HCC	Oct 2020	HCC	May 2020
	PD-L1	Monoclonal antibody
Pembrolizumab	PD-1	Monoclonal antibody	2nd	ESCC	Jun 2020	HCC	Nov 2018
Camrelizumab	PD-1	lgG4 antibody	2nd	HCC	Mar 2020	−	−
Nivolumab	PD-1		2nd	NSCLC	Jun 2018	HCC	Sep 2017
Sintilimab + IBI305	PD-1	lgG4 antibody	1st	HCC	Jan 2021	−	−
	VEGFR-2, VEGF-A, and VEGF (biosimilar of bevacizumab)	Monoclonal antibody				−	−

BRAF, B-rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma; LMW, low-molecular-weight; NSCLC, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, IND, investigational new drug; ESCC, esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma.