Kimberly Blozie Kimberly Blozie

Vemurafenib and Ipilimumab — buying time for Melanoma sufferers

Vemurafenib and Ipilimumab are both drugs with cumbersome names but they are actually tiny antibodies designed to attack particular kinds of melanoma. Two recent clinical trials were published in the New England Journal of Medicine that show promising results for these drugs.

In one article in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors MacArthur and Chapman et al. describe a phase 3 clinical trial where 675 patients were randomly assigned to receive Vemurafenib or a conventional drug (dacarbazine). It was so clear that patients on Vemurafenib were living longer that the patients who had been randomized to the conventional group were switched over and given Vemurafenib.

Here is a quote from the article:

Vemurafenib produced improved rates of overall and progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated melanoma with the BRAF V600E mutation.  [Approxamatly 40 - 60% of melanomas fall into this catagory]

In the other article, doctors Robert and Wolchok et al describe that Ipilimumab plus dacarbazine works better than decarbazine alone:

In summary, this trial showed that there was a significant improvement in overall survival among patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma who received ipilimumab plus dacarbazine as compared with dacarbazine plus placebo. Adverse events other than those typically seen with dacarbazine or ipilimumab therapy were not identified.

The New York Times published an article about this and quoted Dr. Lynn M. Schuchter, a melanoma specialist at the University of Pennsylvania who was at the initial presentation of these results as saying:

“This is an unprecedented time of celebration for our patients.”

Only liver toxicities, nausea and vomiting were common side effects that patients on both clinical trials experienced.

Related posts:

  1. Signs, Symptoms,Treatment and Pictures of Melanoma, A Skin Cancer
  2. Melanoma Clinical Trials, New Treatments, Research Sites and More
  3. Plexxikon/Roches’ PLX-4032 Prolongs Life for Melanoma Patients
  4. Bob Marley and his battle with Melanoma
  5. PLX4032 for Melanoma: The Promise of Targeted Therapies for Cancer
  • sahar

    hello
    Are these drugs available now? we live in iran and my mother suffers Melanoma .how can we get these drugs? Who knows?

    • Kimberly Blozie

      Hi Sahar,

      These drugs are in clinical trials. If your mom wants to participate in a clinical trial, she should check at nearby hospitals if they are running clinical trials for these drugs.

      All the best!
      - Kim

      • angela sadr

        Hello,my name is Angela ,i live in iran and my friend suffers melanoma.We are interesting to come in usa for treatment of melanoma.How we can do this?can u help us?thanks a lot.i’m wainting for ur response.
        Best Regards:Doctor:Angela Sadr

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  • Jonathan Heap

    My sister has metastatic melanoma.
    To be treated are the drugs available outside of the trials yet ?
    Pls advise soonest for her

  • kim Blozie

    Hi Jonathan,

    I am not sure where you live. You need to check with your doctors where you are at to find out.
    Best of luck to you and your sister,

    - Kim