Sanofi’s First-Of-Its-Kind Treatment for Skin Cancer Approved

The FDA approved the first ever treatment for an advanced form of a common skin cancer.

Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc), an IV therapy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, came through two open-label clinical trials to win approval. Nearly half of the 108 patients saw their tumors either shrink or disappear.

The drug, owned by Sanofi Biotechnology, blocks a cellular pathway known as PD-1 and helps the body’s immune system fight cancer cells. Nearly 700,000 individuals are diagnosed every year with this form of carcinoma, making it the second most common skin cancer in the U.S.