FDA Approves Merck’s Sylatron For Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma

Merck & Co. April 11 announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved Sylatron (peginterferon alfa-2b injection) for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma with microscopic or gross nodal involvement within 84 days of definitive surgical resection including complete lymphadenectomy.

Sylatron is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection that may be self-injected, Merck said. Patients should be premedicated with acetaminophen 500 to 1000 mg orally 30 minutes prior to the first dose of Sylatron and as needed for subsequent doses.

The drug is contraindicated in patients with a history of anaphylaxis to peginterferon alfa-2b or interferon alfa-2b, in patients with autoimmune hepatitis, ...