Melanoma , a deadly form of skin cancer

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Globally, in 2012, it occurred in 232,000 people and resulted in 55,000 deaths.

 Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world.

 There are also high rates in Europe and North America while it is less common in Asia, Africa, and Latin Amercia

Two new cancer drugs to be sold on Indian market 

The cancer drug that treated former US president Jimmy Carter who was suffering from melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, might be hitting the Indian market by September 2016. 

Carter was being treated with a cancer drug called Keytruda that uses the immune system to fight off cancerous cells. 

Various medical experts said the drug which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will increase the curability rate by 20 per cent and prolong the life of the cancer patients. Currently, the hospitals are importing the drug from foreign country. 

Another drug, Opdivo, will also be made available at the same time. Opdivo is also used to treat melanoma. 

“These are the new class of drugs which will chance the entire concept of cancer treatment in the country. Initial attempts have been successful in India. 

The approval is on its way and we are waiting for the final decision. We are importing the drug from foreign country,” Dr Amit Agarwal, director and head of department, medical oncology, BLK Super Speciality Hospital. 

Keytruda, made by pharmaceutical company Merck, was originally approved by the FDA in September 2014 to treat melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer that can also show up in other organs of the body, as it did in Carter’s case.