2018 - Good year for new FDA approvals of cancer treatments

New Treatments for Colorectal Cancer, Leukemia, and Melanoma

According to the American Association of Cancer Research, this year has been important for new cancer medicines.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved several new anticancer therapeutics and expanded the use of other approved therapeutics to include new types of cancer. Specifically, the agency approved a new combination of molecularly targeted therapeutics—encorafenib (Braftovi) and binimetinib (Mektovi)—for treating certain patients with melanoma. The FDA also approved a new molecularly targeted therapeutic—ivosidenib (Tibsovo)—for treating certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In addition, it expanded the use of a combination of immunotherapeutics—ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo)—to include the treatment of certain patients with colorectal cancer.
 

"These approvals are the culmination of many years of hard work by researchers working in a wide range of disciplines and are a testament to the unceasing progress we are making against cancer." - AACR.

Read more on the AACR website.