ASCO 2019: New analysis supports first-line Tafinlar plus Mekinist

Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) has presented results from the COMBI-d and COMBI-v trials, testing a combination of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), at the 2019 ASCO annual meeting.

The data, which were also published in The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluate the impact of first-line treatment with the therapy on people with unresectable or metastatic BRAF-mutation positive melanoma.

Researchers reported that there were overall and progression-free long-term survival benefits, based on a pooled analysis. 34% of all people in the group survived after five years, and 19% did not have disease progression, or death, at five years.