Successes and setbacks of early investigational drugs for melanoma

Abstract

Treatment of advanced and metastatic melanoma is a rapidly changing field. Over the past 10 years, there have been six new drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. These approved drugs include a number of immune checkpoint inhibitors and MAPK-pathway-targeted therapies. The discovery of such agents as ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, vemurafenib, trametininb and dabrafenib have revolutionized the way in which melanoma in managed. While these agents have succeeded in both early and later phase clinical trials, a large number of investigational therapies have not yet been developed or researched past Phase I clinical studies. Furthermore, there are dozens of potential agents in Phase I and Phase II clinical development that appear promising and are currently being explored. The field currently aims to determine the optimal sequence and combination of these therapies to best overcome such setbacks as toxicity and resistance and build upon the successes previously seen.