Dr. Weber on Growing Costs With Triplet and Four-Drug Regimens in Melanoma

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Oncology, deputy director, co-director of the Melanoma Research Program, NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the clinical potential and monetary hindrances of triplet and four-drug regimens for patients with melanoma.

Weber attests to the advances that have been made in triplet and four-drug regimens, discussing a clinical trial combining ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) with a histone deacetylase inhibitor as an example. It is possible that flipping the dose levels and adjusting the schedule so there is no prohibitive toxicity will lead to the implementation of triplets in immunotherapy.

According to Weber, though trials such as these appear promising, there are financial toxicities with these systemic therapies that pose a major deterrent to these trials’ progress and application in mainstream medicine.

Though Weber sheds light on the potential of these trials, he also acknowledges the increasing costs of drugs, which could lead to greater issues in healthcare in the future.