Dive Brief:
- Tafinlar (dabrafenib) is intended for the treatment of melanoma that has spread or cannot be fully removed by surgery and tumors that test positive for the BRAF V600 mutation.
- Phase III data showed that Tafinlar works just as well as Roche’s Zelboraf (vemurafenib). Both drugs target melanoma with the BRAF V600 mutation.
- The BRAF V600 mutation is linked to 50% of aggressive forms of melanoma.
Dive Insight:
Tafinlar and other drugs used for treatment of advanced melanoma, including Zelboraf and BMS’s Yervoy (ipilumumab), are recognized for their substantial superiority to earlier treatments and their Lazarus-like effect on first-time advanced disease patients.
But despite the fact that there are similarities in terms of which mutations are targeted by the medications, each drug has different side effects, forcing patients to choose from a variety of treatment options. The review process for GSK's therapy went rapidly, and the company intends to get Tafinlar to patients as soon as possible.