MEK Inhibitor News and Research

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BeiGene collaborates with SpringWorks to evaluate new combinational therapy for solid tumors

BeiGene, Ltd., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, and SpringWorks Therapeutics, a clinical-stage rare disease and oncology company focused on sourcing and developing innovative treatments for underserved patient populations, announced today that the companies have entered into a global clinical collaboration agreement to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of combining BeiGene's investigational RAF dimer inhibitor, lifirafenib and SpringWorks Therapeutics' investigational MEK inhibitor, PD-0325901, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

6 Sep 2018

Novartis' new drug combination receives positive CHMP opinion for treating stage III BRAF mutant melanoma

Novartis today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Tafinlar® in combination with Mekinist® for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, following complete resection.

27 Jul 2018

New avenue for cancer treatment opens when one drug fails

A new class of cancer drugs – called CDK4/6 inhibitors -- recently approved to treat breast cancer can stunt the cancer's growth and replication.

27 Jun 2018

Changing schedules of targeted therapy for melanoma could improve outcomes

Skin melanoma, a particularly insidious cancer, accounts for the vast majority skin cancer deaths and is one of the most common cancers in people under 30.

26 Mar 2018

Study reports longer survival for obese men with metastatic melanoma

Obese patients with metastatic melanoma who are treated with targeted or immune therapies live significantly longer than those with a normal body mass index, investigators report in a study published in Lancet Oncology of 1,918 patients in six independent clinical cohorts.

13 Feb 2018

Pretreatment improves outcomes in high-risk stage 3 melanoma, study shows

A pair of targeted therapies given before and after surgery for melanoma produced at least a six-fold increase in time to progression compared to standard-of-care surgery for patients with stage 3 disease, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in Lancet Oncology.

18 Jan 2018

Treatment for skin cancer could be more effective if combined with arthritis drug

Treatment for the most deadly form of skin cancer could be more effective if combined with a well-known drug for rheumatoid arthritis, new research has shown.

19 Dec 2017

Combination therapy found to be effective adjuvant treatment option in melanoma patients

Combination targeted adjuvant therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib doubles relapse-free survival in patients with stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma, according to late-breaking results from the COMBI-AD trial presented today at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Sep 2017

Combination therapy shows potential for effective treatment of RAS-mutant cancers

A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown promise for effective treatment of therapy-resistant cancers caused by a mutation of the RAS gene found in many cancers.

2 Jun 2017

KRAS ‘imbalances’ that emerge over time may influence cancer treatment response

Choosing among cancer treatments increasingly involves determining whether tumor cells harbor specific, mutated "oncogenes" that drive abnormal growth and that may also be especially vulnerable or resistant to particular drugs.

28 Feb 2017

Scientists discover how MEK inhibitor boosts antitumor activity and slows cancer progression

Understanding the effects of certain targeted therapies on antitumor immunity is necessary to design combined interventions for more effective cancer treatment.

1 Nov 2016

Researchers identify existing drugs that appear to prevent aggressive subtype of pediatric brain tumors

More than 4,000 children and teens are diagnosed with brain cancer each year and the disease kills more children than any other cancer.

27 Oct 2016

Researchers report high response rate with single drug in phase I/II trial of paediatric brain cancer

A high response rate with a single drug in a phase I/II trial of paediatric brain tumour has set the stage for combination therapy with higher response and lower toxicity, researchers reported at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen.

7 Oct 2016

Immune and targeted therapies may be beneficial in patients with melanoma brain metastases

Brain metastases are one of the most common complications of advanced melanoma, requiring multidisciplinary management.

21 Sep 2016

Researcher identifies mechanisms that may cause resistance to BRAF inhibitor

BRAF mutation occurs in between 40% and 50% of metastasising melanomas (skin cancers), boosting tumour growth.

29 Aug 2016

Breakthrough in cancer cell screening advances personalised treatment of childhood leukaemia

Researchers at Newcastle University have been able to accurately predict how children whose cancer returns after treatment for leukaemia are likely to respond to further treatment.

26 Aug 2016

Targeted therapies suppress T cell activity that could actually help fight tumors

In many cases, targeted therapies for cancer are preferred as treatments over chemotherapy and surgery because they attack and kill cancer cells with specific tumor-promoting mutations while sparing healthy, normal cells that do not express these mutations.

23 Mar 2016

Wistar Institute scientists use revolutionary method to block melanoma progression

Melanoma patients who receive treatment with targeted therapies experience an initial response that feels like a cure, but that early excitement is quickly dampened when patients relapse as their cancers find alternative pathways in our cells to grow and spread. With melanoma so good at escaping targeted treatments, there's a dire need to halt these cancers in their tracks to prolong good responses and promote longer, healthier lives.

11 Jan 2016

CU Cancer Center study reports 'robust antitumor activity' of TAK-733 drug in mouse models of colorectal cancer

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published online ahead of print in the journal Oncotarget reports "robust antitumor activity" of the drug TAK-733 in cells and mouse models of colorectal cancer.

14 Oct 2015

2-year advanced melanoma survival benefit with dabrafenib, trametinib combination

Updated results from the COMBI-v trial show significantly improved overall and progression-free survival with first-line dabrafenib plus trametinib compared with vemurafenib in patients with advanced melanoma.

7 Oct 2015