Drug results a boost for Glaxo

Published on 05/06/2012 00:00

TWO experimental drugs being developed by GlaxoSmithKline to treat skin cancer have been found to help patients with fewer side effects than current chemotherapy.

The two medicines – Dabrafenib and Trametinib – could generate annual sales of £1.5 billion for Glaxo, according to Citi analyst Andrew Baum.

Baum added that Dabrafenib was likely to be launched in 2013 and would quickly erode sales of Roche’s Zelboraf, the only similar drug on the market.

About 160,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed globally each year, with the disease killing around 48,000 patients annually.