Melanoma Medications

Cytotoxic chemotherapy, the oldest and most commonly used type of cancer treatment, halts cell division and kills rapidly growing cells. For a full list of chemotherapy drugs, click here.

Keytruda is a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor approved for inoperable or metastatic melanoma, adjuvant treatment of melanoma after surgery, non-small-cell lung cancer, bladder (urothelial) cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, classic Hodgkin lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and pre- and post-surgery treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. It is also approved for all metastatic solid tumors with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency mutations (MSI-H/dMMR) or high tumor mutation burden. 

Opdivo is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for inoperable or metastatic melanoma, metastatic or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer, advanced kidney cancer, relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, advanced or metastatic bladder (urothelial) cancer, liver cancer, advanced stomach and esophageal cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency genetic mutations. 

Tecentriq is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced or metastatic bladder (urothelial) cancer, metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, metastatic liver cancer and inoperable or metastatic melanoma.

Yervoy is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for advanced or metastatic melanoma, and in combination with Opdivo for kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency genetic mutations (MSI-high/dMMR), advanced liver cancer and metastatic or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer.

Braftovi is a kinase inhibitor approved as a component of targeted therapy for metastatic melanoma and metastatic colorectal cancer.

Cotellic is a kinase inhibitor approved to treat inoperable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations in combination with Zelboraf (vemurafenib).

Gleevec, a kinase inhibitor, was one of the first targeted therapies for cancer treatment. It is approved for many indications including Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic eosinophilic leukemia, mastocytosis and gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

Mekinist is a kinase inhibitor approved to treat certain cancers with BRAF V600 mutations. It can be used alone to treat people with inoperable or metastatic melanoma. It is approved in combination with the companion drug Tafinlar for treatment of inoperable or metastatic melanoma and for prevention of melanoma recurrence after surgery. The combination is also approved for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and advanced thyroid cancer.

Mektovi is a kinase inhibitor approved to treat inoperable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations in combination with Braftovi (encorafenib).

Tafinlar is a kinase inhibitor approved to treat certain cancers with BRAF V600 mutations. It can be used alone to treat people with inoperable or metastatic melanoma. It is approved in combination with the companion drug Mekinist for treatment of inoperable or metastatic melanoma and for prevention of melanoma recurrence after surgery. The combination is also approved for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and advanced thyroid cancer.

Tasigna is a kinase inhibitor approved for newly diagnosed or previously Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia.

Zelboraf is a kinase inhibitor approved for inoperable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E mutations and Erdheim-Chester Disease with BRAF V600 mutations.