The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib) to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) or unresectable ( cannot be removed by surgery) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Zelboraf is specifically indicated for the treatment of patients with melanoma whose tumors express a gene mutation called BRAF V600E. The BRAF protein is normally involved in regulating cell growth, but is mutated in about half of the patients with late-stage melanomas. Zelboraf is a BRAF inhibitor that is able to block the function of the V600E-mutated BRAF protein.

The FDA approved the drug based on a 675-patient study in which patients received either Zelboraf or a chemotherapy drug. The study is ongoing, but 77 percent of people on Zelboraf are still alive, compared with 64 percent of those taking the older drug.

The most common side effects reported in patients receiving Zelboraf included joint pain, rash, hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and skin sensitivity when exposed to the sun, according to the FDA.

Zelboraf is marketed by South San Francisco based-Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease. The National Cancer Institute estimated that 68,130 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States during 2010 and about 8,700 people died from the disease.

 VietNamNet/Xinhuanet