Novartis’ Tafinlar (dabrafenib) + Mekinist (trametinib) demonstrate superior overall survival benefit in advanced melanoma patients at three-year follow up

Novartis' Tafinlar (dabrafenib) + Mekinist (trametinib) demonstrate superior overall survival benefit in advanced melanoma patients at three-year follow up. Latest data confirm an estimated 45% of patients who received Tafinlar + Mekinist combination therapy are alive versus 31% of patients on BRAF monotherapy Second trial to confirm three-year landmark overall survival data for the combination Advanced melanoma is a serious, life-threatening skin cancer, with typically low rates of survival for patients with late-stage disease , - Novartis today announced data from the Phase III COMBI-v study demonstrating an overall survival (OS) and a progression-free survival benefit for patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma when treated first-line with the combination of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) + Mekinist (trametinib) compared to vemurafenib monotherapy. The results of this study, which was conducted in 704 patients , are being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2016 Congress in Copenhagen. "The three-year overall survival follow-up data from COMBI-v is remarkable because it is the second Phase III study this year to demonstrate a significant long-term survival benefit for BRAF mutation-positive melanoma patients treated with Tafinlar + Mekinist combination therapy compared to BRAF inhibitor monotherapy," said Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, Head of Dermatology, Institute Gustave-Roussy.