My Malignant Melanoma

Update on the top new MM treatments:

Allovectin-7

Immune system booster, Phase 3 trial had positive results


Oblimersen

Gene therapy, Phase 1 trial results just in- showed no responses at planned dosage


Ipilimumab

Antibody targeting CTLA-4-this is the only drug so far shown to prolong life, available both via open UK trials and for compassionate use


OncoVEX

A modified virus carrying a helpful gene, looks promising so far, there is an open UK Phase 3 Trial.

PLX4032

BRAF inhibitor - early trials showed high response rates but it seems that these responses may be short-lived, supporting the anecdotal reports which have been circulating on cancer patients' boards.

Did I say 5? Let's have a sixth/seventh- Glaxo's "me too" B-RAF and MEK inhibitors, presently in Phase 3 Trials.


Talking of MEK inhibitiors, whatever happened to AZD6244? There seems to be an open phase II trial, but no results as yet (MEK inhibitors work on a different link in the chain which B-RAF lies on, and similarly require B-RAF mutant tumours to work)

It might be that combination therapy with two of these agents would be more than twice as good as any on their own, but that would mean drugs companies cooperating instead of competing. Here's an occasion where we might wish the quacks' supposed "cancer conspiracy" were true, and drug companies really did act in concert.

Update- the combination trial is happening.

Labels: allovectin, AZD6244, BRAF, GSK212, GSK436, oblimersen.ipilimumab, oncovex, PLX4032