Roche announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approved Cotellic (cobimetinib) for the treatment of people with BRAF
V600E or V600K mutation-positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma in
combination with Zelboraf (vemurafenib). Cotellic and Zelboraf are not
used to treat melanoma with a normal BRAF gene. Cotellic is Roche’s
seventh new medicine approved by the FDA in the past five years.
Possible serious side effects with Cotellic include risk of skin
cancers, increased risk of bleeding, heart problems that can lead to
inadequate pumping of the blood by the heart, rash, eye problems,
abnormal liver test or liver injury, increased levels of an enzyme in
the blood, and photosensitivity.
Cotellic and Zelboraf are prescription medicines used in combination to
treat melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be
removed by surgery, and that has a certain type of abnormal “BRAF” gene.
Found in approximately half of melanomas, mutated BRAF causes abnormal signaling inside certain cancer cells leading to tumor growth. Zelboraf is designed to inhibit some mutated forms of BRAF and Cotellic
is designed to inhibit some forms of MEK. Both BRAF and MEK are proteins
in a cell signaling pathway that help control cell growth and survival. When used in combination, Cotellic and Zelboraf are thought to reduce
cancer cell growth longer than with Zelboraf alone. A patient’s
healthcare provider will perform a test to make sure Cotellic and
Zelboraf are right for the patient. It is not known if Cotellic and
Zelboraf are safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.
Melanoma is less common, but more aggressive and deadlier than other forms of skin cancer.,
