The pill is available for the first time today
A new pill which doubles the length of time that patients with advanced skin cancer can survive is now available in Britain.
Zelboraf is the first personalised treatment to extend life of patients with BRAF V600 mutation positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma to over a year, is now licensed for use in the UK following an accelerated review by the EU Commission.
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 per cent by 2030 - the biggest projected increase of any other cancer.
The estimated risk of death during the study period for patients who received Zelboraf reduced by 38 per cent, with a median overall survival time of 13.2 months for patients who received the drug compared to 9.6 months for patients who received standard chemotherapy.
The oral therapy, developed based on research conducted at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, targets the activity of the faulty BRAF V600 gene present in half of patients with inoperable metastatic melanoma. Trials show that it offers an 8.8 fold improvement in best overall response rate in first line patients, with a:
• 48.8 per cent partial and complete response rate with Zelboraf
• 5.5 per cent partial and complete response rate with dacazarbine (standard chemotherapy)
A test is available to identify the presence of the BRAF V600 predictive biomarker in patients and therefore their suitability to the treatment, which will allow doctors to be more precise when making treatment decisions and ensure it is only prescribed to those who could benefit. The treatment will be available in pill formulation (four tablets twice a day) which can be taken at home, meaning fewer hospital visits than traditional IV cancer drugs.
In this video below: Dr James Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Professor Richard Marais, Professor of Molecular Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research, explain what Metastatic Melanoma is, incidence rates which show the disease has almost doubled every decade, and how the disease disproportionately affects young people between the ages of 15-34. Professor Marais explains how Zelboraf was developed, following the discovery of the BRAF V600 mutation gene, whilst Dr Larkin describes how the new personalised medicine targets patients with the faulty gene.
Tagged in Health Therapy Skin Cancer Skin