Encorafenib/Binimetinib Combo Continues to Show Survival Benefit in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma

Source: OncLive, October 2019

Long-term data from the COLUMBUS trial showed that encorafenib (Braftovi) plus binimetinib (Mektovi) had superior overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with encorafenib or vemurafenib (Zelboraf) alone in patients with BRAF V600–mutant melanoma.

At a median follow-up of 48.8 months, the updated results, which were presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting, demonstrated that the median OS was 33.6 months for encorafenib/binimetinib, 23.5 months for encorafenib alone, and 16.9 months for vemurafenib alone. Overall, the combination decreased the risk of death by 39% versus vemurafenib alone (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.48-0.79). Additionally, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14.9 months for encorafenib/binimetinib, 9.6 months for encorafenib alone, and 7.3 months for vemurafenib alone.

In June 2018, the FDA approved the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib for the treatment of patients with BRAF-mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma, as detected by an FDA-approved test, based on earlier COLUMBUS data.