Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application for vismodegib to the FDA for the treatment of people with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) for whom surgery is considered inappropriate. Vismodegib is an investigational, oral, targeted medicine designed to selectively inhibit signaling in the Hedgehog pathway, which is implicated in more than 90 percent of BCC cases. BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, which is generally considered curable by surgery. However, when it advances, BCC can cause disfiguring and debilitating effects and can ultimately be life-threatening.
"We are excited by the pivotal study results that showed vismodegib substantially reduced tumor size or healed lesions for people with this rare skin cancer, which has no approved treatments," said Hal Barron, M.D., chief medical officer and head, Global Product Development. "We look forward to continuing our discussions with the FDA about these data."