Caspases are a family of intracellular cysteine proteases critical to several cellular functions, including apoptosis and inflammation. Mammalian caspases are numbered 1 - 13 and are classified either as initiators or effectors of downstream functions. Pan-caspase inhibitors act on one or more of the known caspases and are pursued for their ability to treat diseases such as autoimmune disorders and cancer. Pan-caspase inhibitors can either be peptides, proteins, or small molecule inhibitors. The small molecule pan-caspase inhibitor VX-166 has garnered interest for its ability to treat fibrosis and sepsis. Several pan-caspase inhibitors can be compared below.