BRAF inhibitor Braftovi approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of colorectal cancer in conjunction with EGFR antibody Erbitux

The BRAF inhibitor Braftovi (encorafenib) and EGFR-targeted antibody Erbitux (cetuximab) were approved by the European Medicines Agency for use as a second-line treatment for patients previously undergoing systemic therapy and BRAF-positive colorectal cancerBraftovi was approved for same-adaptive disorders in the United States in AprilBraftovi has been approved to work with MEK inhibitor Mektovi (binimetinib) for the treatment of BRAF plus melanoma, a skin cancer, and analysts at Evaluate Pharma believe the drug will account for more than $700 million of total global sales of $1.2 billion for colorectal cancer by 2024Clinical results showed that Braftovi/Erbitux increased total survival (OS) by 40% compared to erbitux and Iliticon-based chemotherapy, with a median OS? 5.9 months and 9.3 months, respectivelyData from the trial also showed that combination therapy between the two drugs was as effective as triple therapy, including Mektovi, which meant that additional toxicity from MEK inhibitors could be avoided without harming patient healthColorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, with about 1.8 million new patients worldwide each year, 7-10% of whom have BRAF mutations