Bristol-Myers Squibb is one the leading pharmaceutical companies around the world, and they were just granted approval from the Food and Drug Administration to start releasing a new drug that will help patients with Melanoma.
Opdivo is the new drug being released by BMS, after being confirmed as a beneficial drug that will severely help patients who are diagnosed with Melanoma.
There is an estimated 76,100 people in the United States alone that suffer from this deadly skin disease, and a good majority of those infected with the disease may die at the hands of it. According to the FDA’s official website, Melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States, and forms within the melanocyte cells, the cells that are responsible for developing skin pigmentation. Researchers have been trying to find new ways to cure this common disease, and there have been seven drugs approved the FDA for Melanoma since 2011.
The drug reportedly works by shrinking tumors on the skin for patients, and it goes after cancer cells. The drug was not going to be released just yet, but received accelerated approval after one third of the patients who were in trial with it showed signs of tumor shrinkage.
While Melanoma is a deadly disease, the approval of Opdivo has given a lot of people a chance at fighting this condition.
Photo : Bristol Myers Squibb
