Recently, the FDA approved a new indication for atezolizumab (Tecentriq®, Genentech) in combination with vemurafenib (Zelboraf®, Genentech and Daiichi-Sankyo) and cobimetinib (Cotellic®, Genentech) for the treatment of BRAF V600-mutant advanced melanoma. In this interview with i3 Health, Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, principal investigator of the IMspire150 trial, on which the approval was based, discusses the approval's significance and the most promising research developments in the treatment of BRAF...

Combination BRAF/MEK inhibitors such as encorafenib/binimetinib are the current standard of care for patients with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma. Until now, however, the long-term efficacy of encorafenib/binimetinib had not been established. In an updated analysis of the phase 3 COLUMBUS trial, a team of researchers led by Paolo Ascierto, MD, Director of the Unit of Melanoma, Cancer Immunotherapy, and Innovative Therapy at the National Tumor Institute Fondazione G. Pascale in Naples, Italy, found th...