Novel Drug to Be Tested in Rare Form of Eye Cancer
Source: Cure Today, January 2023
A phase 2 study will investigate the efficacy of darovasertib for patients with uveal melanoma and whether the drug can potentially result in lower radiation doses or fewer eye removal surgeries.
Patients can now enroll in a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating darovasertib for the treatment of primary non-metastatic (meaning the disease has not spread) uveal melanoma, a rare form of eye cancer.
“This is a paradigm-shifting opportunity, as there are no approved systemic therapies in these settings,” said Dr. Carol Shields, chief of the ocular oncology service at Wills Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said in a press release from IDEAYA, the drug’s manufacturer. “The preliminary clinical data shows clear evidence of anti-tumor activity and supports further clinical evaluation of darovasertib to determine its potential to either save the eye by avoiding enucleation (surgical removal of the eye) or to reduce the tumor thickness in the eye, enabling treatment with less radiation to preserve vision.”