binimetinib
Regulatory sources consulted
Approved indications
- Never as monotherapy. With encorafenib: unresectable/metastatic BRAF V600E/K melanoma or metastatic BRAF V600E NSCLC.
Contraindications
Absolute
- CIMA: hypersensitivity to the active substance or excipients; the FDA label establishes no formal contraindications.
Clinical warnings
- Monitor LVEF at baseline, at 1 month, and every 2–3 months. Monitor VTE, hemorrhage, and ILD; withhold or discontinue according to severity. — OpenFDA, set_id 6c3408ac-d401-4925-8a03-26591afbc240
- Monitor serous retinopathy and retinal-vein occlusion; confirmed RVO requires permanent discontinuation. For suspected ILD, withhold and investigate, then modify or discontinue according to severity. Monitor liver function and CPK/creatinine for rhabdomyolysis. — OpenFDA, set_id 6c3408ac-d401-4925-8a03-26591afbc240
Adverse events
Common (≥1%)
fatigue · nausea · diarrhea · vomiting · abdominal pain
Pregnancy and lactation
Verify pregnancy. Women must use contraception during treatment and for 30 days afterward. Do not breastfeed during treatment or for 3 days afterward.
Recent literature (PubMed)
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), the most common tumor predisposition syndrome, occurs when NF1 gene variants result in loss of neurofibromin, a negative regulator of RAS activity. Plexiform neurofibromas (PN) are peripheral nerve sheath tumors that develop in patients with NF1 and are associated with substantial morbidity and for which, until recently, the only treatment was surgical resection. However, surgery carries several risks and a proportion of PN are considered inoperable. Understanding the genetic underpinnings of PN led to the investigation of targeted therapies as medical treatment options, and the MEK1/2 inhibitor selumetinib has shown promising efficacy in pediatric patients with NF1 and symptomatic, inoperable PN. In a phase I/II trial, most children (approximately 70%) achieved reduction in tumor volume accompanied by improvements in patient-reported outcomes (decreased tumor-related pain and improvements in quality of life, strength, and range of motion). Selumetinib is currently the only licensed medical therapy indicated for use in pediatric patients with symptomatic, inoperable NF1-PN, with approval based on the results of this pivotal clinical study. Several other MEK inhibitors (binimetinib, mirdametinib, trametinib) and the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib are also being investigated as medical therapies for NF1-PN. Careful consideration of multiple aspects of both disease and treatments is vital to reduce morbidity and improve outcomes in patients with this complex and heterogeneous disease, and clinicians should be fully aware of the risks and benefits of available treatments. There is no single treatment pathway for patients with NF1-PN; surgery, watchful waiting, and/or medical treatment are options. Treatment should be individualized based on recommendations from a multidisciplinary team, considering the size and location of PN, effects on adjacent tissues, and patient and family preferences. This review outlines the treatment strat
Treatment with encorafenib plus binimetinib and encorafenib monotherapy is associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with vemurafenib in patients with BRAF V600E/K-mutant metastatic melanoma. We report results from the 7-year analysis of COLUMBUS part 1 (NCT01909453) at 99.7 months (median duration between randomization and data cutoff). 577 patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma who were treatment-naive or progressed after first-line immunotherapy were randomized 1:1:1 to encorafenib 450 mg once daily (QD) plus binimetinib 45 mg twice daily (BID) (n = 192), vemurafenib 960 mg BID (n = 191), or encorafenib monotherapy 300 mg QD (n = 194). No prior BRAF/MEK inhibitor was allowed. Seven-year PFS and OS rates (95 % CI) were 21.2 % (14.7-28.4 %) and 27.4 % (21.2-33.9%) in the encorafenib plus binimetinib arm and 6.4 % (2.1-14.0 %) and 18.2 % (12.8-24.3 %) in the vemurafenib arm, respectively. Median melanoma-specific survival (95 % CI) was 36.8 months (27.7-51.5 months) in the encorafenib plus binimetinib arm and 19.3 months (14.8-25.9 months) in the vemurafenib arm. Thirty-four long-term responders (complete/partial response ongoing at 7 years) were identified across arms. This is the longest follow-up from a phase III trial of BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination in BRAF V600E/K-mutant metastatic melanoma. Safety results were consistent with the known tolerability profile of encorafenib plus binimetinib. Results support the long-term efficacy and known safety of encorafenib plus binimetinib in this population and provide new insights on long-term responders. Interactive data visualization is available at the COLUMBUS dashboard (https://clinical-trials.dimensions.ai/columbus7/). No information is available on the clinical use of binimetinib during breastfeeding. Because binimetinib is 97% bound to plasma proteins, and the half-life of the drug is 3.5 hours, the amount in milk is
Limited prospective data are available on sequential immunotherapy and BRAF/MEK inhibition for BRAFV600-mutant metastatic melanoma. SECOMBIT is a randomized, three-arm, noncomparative phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02631447). Patients with untreated, metastatic BRAFV600-mutant melanoma from 37 sites in nine countries were randomly assigned to arm A (encorafenib [450 mg orally once daily] plus binimetinib [45 mg orally twice daily] until progressive disease [PD] -> ipilimumab plus nivolumab [ipilimumab 3 mg/kg once every 3 weeks and nivolumab 1 mg/kg once every 3 weeks × four cycles -> nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks]), arm B [ipilimumab plus nivolumab until PD -> encorafenib plus binimetinib], or arm C (encorafenib plus binimetinib for 8 weeks -> ipilimumab plus nivolumab until PD -> encorafenib plus binimetinib). The primary end point was overall survival (OS) at 2 years. Secondary end points included total progression-free survival, 3-year OS, best overall response rate, duration of response, and biomarkers in the intent-to-treat population. Safety was analyzed throughout sequential treatment in all participants who received at least one dose of study medication. A total of 209 patients were randomly assigned (69 in arm A, 71 in arm B, and 69 in arm C). At a median follow-up of 32.2 (interquartile range, 27.9-41.6) months, median OS was not reached in any arm and more than 30 patients were alive in all arms. Assuming a null hypothesis of median OS of ≤ 15 months, the OS end point was met for all arms. The 2-year and 3-year OS rates were 65% (95% CI, 54 to 76) and 54% (95% CI, 41 to 67) in arm A, 73% (95% CI, 62 to 84) and 62% (95% CI, 48 to 76) in arm B, and 69% (95% CI, 59 to 80) and 60% (95% CI, 58 to 72) in arm C. No new safety signals emerged. Sequential immunotherapy and targeted therapy provide clinically meaningful survival benefits for patients with BRAFV600-mutant melanoma.
The PHAROS primary analysis revealed robust antitumor activity and acceptable safety with encorafenib plus binimetinib in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC). We report results after 18 months of additional follow-up. In this ongoing open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study, patients with BRAF V600E-mutant mNSCLC (59 treatment-naive and 39 previously treated) received encorafenib 450 mg once daily and binimetinib 45 mg twice daily. Primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary end points included duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. At this data cutoff, median treatment duration with encorafenib plus binimetinib was 16.3 months in treatment-naive and 5.5 months in previously treated patients; minimum follow-up was approximately 32 and 22 months, respectively. In treatment-naive patients, the ORR was 75%, median DOR was 40.0 months, median PFS was 30.2 months, median OS was not estimable (95% confidence interval: 31.3-not estimable), and the 3-year OS probability was 53%. In previously treated patients, the ORR was 46%, median DOR was 16.7 months, median PFS was 9.3 months, median OS was 22.7 months, and the 3-year OS probability was 29%. Overall, the most frequent treatment-related adverse events were nausea (52%), diarrhea (44%), fatigue (33%), and vomiting (30%). Treatment-related adverse events led to dose reductions and permanent treatment discontinuations in 25 (26%) and 16 (16%) patients, respectively. With longer follow-up, encorafenib plus binimetinib showed durable and clinically meaningful antitumor activity, especially in treatment-naive patients, with a manageable safety profile in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant mNSCLC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03915951.