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Skin cancer treatment named Drug Discovery of the Year

We’re passionate about sun safety here at Shaded Nation and were pleased to hear a new skin cancer treatment was named the British Pharmacological Society’s (BPS) Drug Discovery of the Year on December 19th (2013).

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was awarded the prize for its drug trametinib, which has been produced to treat malignant melanoma – one of the worst forms of skin cancer.

Skin cancer treatment named Drug Discovery of the Year

Trametinib works to halt the advance of the disease and the BPS said it has brought hope for skin cancer sufferers and their patients.

Dr Ann Haye, BPS fellow and chair of the committee that judged the award, stated: “Trametinib was distinguished by its novel translational pharmacology, but undoubtedly the judges were also impressed by the GSK team’s ambition to address the impact of malignant melanoma on the lives of so many patients and their families.”

She described trametinib as a “first-in-class medicine” for the treatment of this “devastating disease”.

The development of this product is good news and hopefully it will help the thousands of people who suffer from skin cancer each year in the UK.

According to the BPS, there are 12,000 new cases of malignant melanoma annually in Britain. Around 2,000 people die as a result of the condition each year and this is more than any other form of skin cancer.

Malignant melanoma is the third most common disease in the 15 to 39 age group and is caused by overexposure to UV light, be it through natural sunlight or tanning beds.

That so many people are affected by this condition is upsetting, as you can easily reduce your chances of contracting it by taking just a few simple precautions when out in the sun.

Sticking to the shade when possible, covering your skin and applying suntan lotion to any exposed areas will go a long way to keeping you safe and if everyone could do this, instances of the disease would be dramatically reduced.


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