Novel Immunotherapy/Therapeutic Vaccines in Malignant Melanoma-Global Development Status

The filing of a BLA for Bristol-Myers Squibb's ipilimumab for the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma coupled with the commercialization of Dendreon's Provenge for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer have rekindled interest in immunotherapy/therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of cancer.

New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE (nm/OK) closely follows this burgeoning sector that after 30 years of fits and starts may now be truly moving forward.

In October 2010, nm/OK has completed a thorough review of novel immunotherapy approaches being pursued worldwide for the treatment of malignant melanoma. At least 20 distinct immunotherapy/vaccine approaches under development by commercial entities have entered or are being currently evaluated in clinical trials for this indication with several in phase III clinical development. Many of these trials have reported results.

Investigators are also considering combining immunotherapies with targeted drugs to create a powerful personalized treatment for malignant melanoma and many other types of cancer. To date, hundreds of molecular targets have been identified that may play a role in the development and spread of malignant melanoma.

Novel immunotherapy approaches may also be used in the adjuvant setting to prevent recurrent or metastasis of resected high risk melanoma creating a large global market.

All in all, there are more than 100 novel agents based on various mechanisms of action in development for the treatment of malignant melanoma. More than 350 clinical trials are currently ongoing investigating marketed or novel agents as monotherapies or in combination regimens for the management of advanced malignant melanoma. Among targeted drugs in late stage clinical development, positive results have been recently reported with Plexxikon's PLX4032 (RO5185426), a BRAF(V600E) oncogene inhibitor.

To learn more about New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE (nm/OK), visit us on the web at http://www.nmok.net/ or contact us at (949) 830-0448 or at info@newmedinc.com for a no-obligation demonstration of this resource.

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