The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to Opdivo (nivolumab), a new treatment for patients with unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) or metastatic (advanced) melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs.
MRV Research
Scientists Can Reprogram Skin Fibroblasts Into Melanocytes
A new study established a way to convert fibroblasts into functional melanocytes, the body’s pigment-producing cells. The study entitled “Direct conversion of mouse and human fibroblasts to functional melanocytes by defined factors”was published in Nature Communications by Dr. Ruifeng Yang Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and colleagues.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Does Not Up Survival in Melanoma Arising in Head, Neck
For patients with melanoma arising in head and neck subsites (HNM), there is no association between sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and disease-specific survival (DSS), according to research published in the December issue of JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.Steven M. Sperry, MD, from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues examined the correlation of SLNB with survival for HNM.
Genentech Files NDA For Two-Pill Combo In Melanoma In U.S.
Roche Group member Genentech announced that it has filed the New Drug Application (NDA) for its two-pill combo therapy cobimetinib and Zelboraf (vemurafenib) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as treatment for BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma.