Canine melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer that typically appears in a dog's mouth, but also may appear in the nail bed, foot pad or other areas. Dogs with melanomas that have gone beyondinitial stages typically have a lifespan of one to five months with conventional therapies. To date, the most common treatments for this form of cancer have been radiation and surgery.
The melanoma vaccine was developed through a partnership between Merial (11789369), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and The Animal Medical Center (AMC) of New York.
The vaccine will initially be available for use by specialists practicing veterinary oncology and will be administered via a new Canine Transdermal Device (needle-free) developed in conjunction with Bioject (Nasdaq: BJCT), a Portland- based research pharmaceutical device company.
This (conditional) approval is the first time that the U.S. government has approved a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of cancer -- in either animals or humans.
Find more details from the full report.
[photo credit: wonderpuppy.net]
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