Are you looking after your skin the sun?
The skin cancer pill, Zelboraf, has received positive guidance from The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The Institute hace recommended Zelboraf for the treatment of BRAF mutation positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma, noting it to be a ‘step-change’ in the treatment of the disease.
The welcome approval of the first personalised medicine to extend the lives of patients with BRAF V600 mutation positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma to over a year is a celebratory milestone for the melanoma community. In accordance with its licence, the treatment will now also be available to patients as a first and second line therapy.
Dr James Larkin who led the clinical trial at The Royal Marsden said: “We are delighted with NICE’s decision to approve the use of Zelboraf. The results of this trial, led in the UK by The Royal Marsden in collaboration with our academic partners, the Institute of Cancer Research, represents the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma for more than 30 years. We are already seeing the positive impact this drug is having on our patients and clinical trials have shown a very significant prolongation of life in comparison with chemotherapy. Zelboraf targets abnormalities in melanoma cells that occur as a result of mutations (faults) in a gene known as BRAF and this is present in 50% of patients.”
Vemurafenib, an oral therapy that targets the activity of the faulty BRAF V600 gene present in half of patients with inoperable metastatic melanoma, is the only medicine in its class shown to improve survival rates and stall the growth or spread of cancer.
Since its launch in February 2012, vemurafenib has been widely used by English clinicians through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), making it the new standard of care for BRAF mutation positive metastatic melanoma in England, however this is the first time the treatment will be available for patients in Wales.
John Melville, Managing Director, Roche UK said, “Today is a landmark day for metastatic melanoma patients who will now have access to Zelboraf, a treatment that extends and improves quality of life. All patients should now be tested to see if they are BRAF mutation positive in order to determine eligibility for treatment with this personalised medicine.’
Malignant melanoma disproportionately affects young people and is now the second most common cancer in people aged 15-34 in the UK.Rates of malignant melanoma in Britain have risen faster than any other common cancer, with an estimated 2,000 people dying from the disease annually in this country. It is estimated that overall cases of melanoma will rise by 52% by 2030 - the biggest projected increase of any other cancer.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Health Skin Cancer