The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) as a treatment for previously untreated patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Under the expedited process, the action date for the FDA’s decision is August 27, 2015.
MRV Research
FDA panel backs Amgen’s T-Vec for melanoma
An FDA advisory committee has voted in favour of approving Amgen’s virus-like melanoma therapy, despite questions about its impact on survival.
Uncovering new functions of a gene implicated in cancer growth opens new therapeutic possibilities
Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have shown for the first time that a gene previously implicated in blood vessel formation during embryonic development and tumor growth also induces immune suppression during tumor development. This finding, published April 29 in Nature Communications, opens the door for new therapeutic approaches and vaccine development in treating patients with melanoma and other advanced-staged cancers.
beta-catenin Protein Activators Found to be Effective Against Melanoma Cells
A variety of therapeutic options for melanoma have been developed since 2011, changing the way advanced melanomas are treated. Some treatments focus on specific mutations found in melanoma patients, such as BRAFV600E or BRAF V600K, but not all patients carry these mutations. When patients present BRAF mutation-negative melanomas they often fail on BRAF inhibitor medications, stimulating research to treat these patients with alternative therapies.