Dabrafenib – a new, targeted oral therapy for malignant melanoma from GlaxoSmithKline – is set to launch in the UK this month. Marketed as Tafinlar, it is indicated for the treatment of metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, which occurs in around half of melanoma cases. It works by inhibiting the BRAF protein kinase.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved the first BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib (Zelboraf), following a study showing that it can extend life beyond one year compared to chemotherapy.