Selumetinib (Koselugo)

Code name: AZD6244
Brand name: Koselugo

Mechanism of action

Inhibits the enzyme MAPK kinase (MEK), specifically the MEK1 and MEK2 subtypes of the enzyme.

Ho AL, Grewal RK, Leboeuf R, Sherman EJ, Pfister DG, Deandreis D, Pentlow KS, Zanzonico PB, Haque S, Gavane S, Ghossein RA, Ricarte-Filho JC, Domínguez JM, Shen R, Tuttle RM, Larson SM, Fagin JA. Selumetinib-enhanced radioiodine uptake in advanced thyroid cancer. N Engl J Med. 2013 Feb 14;368(7):623-32. link to original article PubMed

Carvajal RD, Sosman JA, Quevedo JF, Milhem MM, Joshua AM, Kudchadkar RR, Linette GP, Gajewski TF, Lutzky J, Lawson DH, Lao CD, Flynn PJ, Albertini MR, Sato T, Lewis K, Doyle A, Ancell K, Panageas KS, Bluth M, Hedvat C, Erinjeri J, Ambrosini G, Marr B, Abramson DH, Dickson MA, Wolchok JD, Chapman PB, Schwartz GK. Effect of selumetinib vs chemotherapy on progression-free survival in uveal melanoma: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014 Jun 18;311(23):2397-405. link to original article link to PMC article PubMed
SUMIT: Carvajal RD, Piperno-Neumann S, Kapiteijn E, Chapman PB, Frank S, Joshua AM, Piulats JM, Wolter P, Cocquyt V, Chmielowski B, Evans TRJ, Gastaud L, Linette G, Berking C, Schachter J, Rodrigues MJ, Shoushtari AN, Clemett D, Ghiorghiu D, Mariani G, Spratt S, Lovick S, Barker P, Kilgour E, Lai Z, Schwartz GK, Nathan P. Selumetinib in combination with dacarbazine in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma: a phase III, multicenter, randomized trial (SUMIT). J Clin Oncol. 2018 Apr 20;36(12):1232-1239. Epub 2018 Mar 12. link to original article contains verified protocol PubMed

Note: this is not an antineoplastic indication. This drug does have some preliminary data in cancer settings.

4/10/2020: Approved for pediatric patients, 2 years of age and older, with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who have symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas (PN).