Patients with metastatic melanoma have renewed hope in their fight against the most lethal form of skin cancer thanks to the FDA’s approval of a new treatment, Yervoy.
Known generically as ipilimumab, it is the first major advancement in decades against a disease that affects more than 68,000 Americans each year. In a recent clinical trial led by former Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator Jedd. D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, nearly 50% of patients who received Yervoy survived for at least one year, compared to 25% of those who received other treatments.
Long before Yervoy got its brand name, Jedd was playing a key role in its development. In 2006, he used an experimental version of the drug to successfully treat a patient of his who had developed tumors in both lungs and for whom traditional therapies had failed. The treatment “releases the brake” on the immune system, allowing the body’s natural defenses to more effectively attack the disease.
Jedd is just one of dozens of Damon Runyon physician-scientists who have been able to bring important discoveries out of the lab and to the bedside. “Damon Runyon recognizes the critical importance of funding investigators like myself who are at a critical point in our careers,” he said as his award ended in 2008. “This has been the single-most important factor for the development of my research program.”
> Read the Wall Street Journal article on the FDA’s announcement
> Watch a NY1 report to learn more about Jedd’s tenure as a Fellow
