New Melanoma Drug Approved

A second drug for melanoma has just been approved by the FDA. The agency acted at least two months before it was expected to do so, and also approved a diagnostic test that allows doctors to tell if their melanoma patients have a specific genetic mutation that makes their cancer susceptible to the new drug, called Zelboraf (vemurafenib). People with advanced melanoma who fit the criteria and got the drug in clinical trials were 63 percent more likely to survive than those getting standard chemotherapy. About half of all cases of melanoma are associated with the alteration in a gene called BRAF that makes them vulnerable to Zelboraf, but the effectiveness eventually wears off for some patients. Side effects of the new drug include hair loss, rash, joint pain and extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Earlier this year, the FDA approved Yervoy (ipilimumab), which works differently to fight melanoma.