title: Vismodegib: the first drug approved for advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma.
abstract: Treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) usually involves surgical interventions and laser ablation, but in locally advanced BCC, which arise either from earlier untreated lesions or from recurrence of aggressive BCC, surgery and radiotherapy are not helpful. Vismodegib, the first oral-targeted therapy for locally advanced and metastatic BCC, unsuitable for surgery or radiotherapy, was recently approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug was under the priority review program of FDA and was approved on the basis of promising results of phase II trial. Vismodegib acts by targeting the hedgehog pathway, which is activated abnormally in most BCCs. Approval of vismodegib is a big step ahead in the treatment of advanced BCC, where there was no other effective drug therapy till now.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Handu
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Qazi
mesh_terms: D000813:Anilides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D017277:Drug Approval; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000813:Anilides; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C538724:HhAntag691; D011725:Pyridines