Dr. Sullivan on Future of Triplet Therapies in Melanoma

Ryan Sullivan, MD, a medical oncologist and attending physician in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the future of triplet therapies for patients with melanoma.

One regimen that received regulatory approval from the FDA in July 2020 is the combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq), vemurafenib (Zelboraf), and cobimetinib (Cotellic), which was indicated for patients with BRAF V600 mutation–positive, advanced melanoma. However, the field isn't entirely sure of how to optimally use this regimen, according to Sullivan.

Based on findings from phase 1/2 clinical trials and randomized data from a small phase 2 study, investigators theorize that triplet therapies, namely a combination of BRAF, MEK, and PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors, have the potential to replace BRAF-targeted therapy as a new standard regimen in this patient population, Sullivan concludes.