Dabrafenib

Dabrafenib (trade name Tafinlar, GSK2118436) is a drug for the treatment of cancers associated with a mutated version of the gene BRAF. Dabrafenib acts as an inhibitor of the associated enzyme B-Raf, which plays a role in the regulation of cell growth. Dabrafenib has clinical activity with a manageable safety profile in clinical trials of phase 1 and 2 in patients with BRAF(V600)-mutated metastatic melanoma.

Approvals and indications

The Food and Drug Administration initially approved dabrafenib as a single agent treatment for patients with BRAF V600E mutation-positive advanced melanoma on May 30, 2013.

Clinical trial data demonstrated that resistance to dabrafenib and other BRAF inhibitors occurs within 6 to 7 months. To overcome this resistance, the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib was combined with the MEK inhibitor trametinib. On January 8, 2014, the FDA approved this combination of dabrafenib and trametinib for BRAF V600E/K-mutant metastatic melanoma. On May 1, 2018, the FDA approved the combination dabrafenib/trametinib as an adjuvant treatment for BRAF V600E-mutated, stage III melanoma after surgical resection based on the results of the COMBI-AD phase 3 study, making it the first oral chemotherapy regimen that prevents cancer relapse for node positive, BRAF-mutated melanoma.

[April 2017] The European Union approved the combination with trametinib for BRAF V600-positive advanced or metastatic non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Further reading

U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information: Medical Genetics Summaries - Dabrafenib Therapy and BRAF and G6PD Genotype

References

1. REDIRECT Template:Targeted cancer therapeutic agents

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