Novartis combination therapy Tafinlar + Mekinist demonstrates overall survival benefit at three-year follow-up in patients with advanced melanoma
Novartis combination therapy Tafinlar + Mekinist demonstrates overall survival benefit at three-year follow-up in patients with advanced melanoma. Study is longest Ph III survival follow-up to date of BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma patients who received a targeted combination therapy - Latest data show an estimated 44% of patients alive after receiving Tafinlar + Mekinist combination therapy - Of those patients still enrolled at three years, 58% were receiving the Tafinlar + Mekinist combination - Novartis today announced data from a Phase III study showing a significant survival benefit for patients with BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive advanced melanoma when treated with the first-line combination of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) + Mekinist (trametinib) compared to Tafinlar monotherapy. The results from the COMBI-d three-year follow-up analysis represent one of the longest survival follow-up studies to date with BRAF mutation-positive advanced melanoma patients. Results are being presented today at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. "BRAF mutation remains the critical genetic feature in advanced melanoma that guides patients' treatment options," said Keith T. Flaherty, MD, Director of the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
