Basal cell carcinoma is a common form of cancer whch should not be taken lightly since as reported by the Skin Cancer Foundation this skin cancer can be disfiguring if not treated promptly. Up to two million American are affected by basal cell carcinoma each year. In fact, this is the most common of all cancers. Basal cell carcinoma develops on areas of skin that are regularly exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet radiation. Greater than one out of every three new cancers are skin cancers, and the vast majority of these are Basal cell carcinomas.
An FDA news release on January 30, 2012, "FDA approves new treatment for most common type of skin cancer" reports that today Erivedge (vismodegib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult patients with basal cell carcinoma. This drug is intended for use in patients who have locally advanced basal cell cancer and who are not candidates for surgery or radiation and for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).
Erivedge is the first FDA-approved drug for metastatic basal cell carcinoma. Erivedge is taken as a pill taken once a day. The safety and effectiveness of Erivedge has been evaluated in a single, multi-center clinical study in 96 patients who had locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma. Of the patients in the study with metastatic disease receiving Erivedge, 30 percent experienced a partial response and 43 percent of the patients with locally advanced disease experienced a complete or partial response.
The most common side effects which have been reported in the FDA news release to occur with Erivedge were "muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, distorted sense of taste, decreased appetite, constipation, vomiting, and loss of taste function in the tongue." Approval of Erivedge comes with a BOXED WARNING which alerts patients and health care professionals of the potential risk of death or severe birth effects to a fetus. Erivedge is being marketed by Genentech.
