Fierce Biotech
February 1, 2013
GlaxoSmithKline is running a placebo controlled study to examine the benefit to late stage melanoma patients of combined therapies. They are testing “BRAF blocker dabrafenib and MEK inhibitor trametinib in patients whose BRAF V600E mutation-positive melanoma has been surgically removed.”
Roche/Genentech is also testing combination therapy with “MEK inhibitor GDC-0973 from its partner Exelixis ($EXEL) and its approved BRAF inhibitor Zelboraf.”
Some patients on these drugs, dabrafenib and trametinib, have developed another skin cancer, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
…patients on the combo lived 9.4 months without their cancer worsening compared with 5.8 months in the dabrafenib-only group.
