New Melanoma Drug Called a 'Game Changer' by Scientists

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved a new immunotherapy drug to treat advanced melanoma that could prove to be a game-changer in fighting the health issue.

The drug, named Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was tested on about 600 patients suffering from the disease when researchers observed a significant long-lasting response on patients suffering from this health issue. In fact, the FDA granted the drug "breakthrough therapy" status.

"This drug is a game changer, a very significant advance in the treatment of melanoma," said lead study author Dr. Antoni Ribas, a professor of medicine in the division of hematology-oncology at the David Geffen Scool of Medicine at UCLA, via Health Day. "For patients who have not responded to prior therapies, this drug now provides a very real chance to shrink their tumors and the hope of a lasting response to treatment."

Researchers have been continuously working on ways to develop an effective and lasting immunotherapy to fight cancer. Now, senior associate dean for research at the school, Judith Gasson, believes that this may be the answer.

"We have long believed that harnessing the power of our own immune systems would dramatically alter cancer treatment," she concluded. "Based upon work conducted over the past two decades, we are beginning to see the clinical benefits of this research in some of the most challenging cancers."

Statistics show that about 5 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States are related to melanoma. Furthermore, about 76,100 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma this year and 9,710 will die from it, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.