[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Pharmacology](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/) › [BRAF and MEK inhibitors](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/braf-and-mek-inhibitors/) › Dabrafenib

# Dabrafenib

## BRAF and MEK inhibitors?

BRAF and MEK inhibitors

## High alert?

An error with this medicine can cause serious harm: double checks and protocols are used.

## Pregnancy: avoid?

Avoid in pregnancy. Can harm the fetus: a pregnancy test is done before starting and non-hormonal contraception is used during and after treatment, because the drug makes…

An oral inhibitor of mutant BRAF, paired with trametinib in BRAF V600 melanoma, lung and thyroid cancer. Watch fever, skin and eyes.

Updated Nov 1, 2026

Also called: dabrafenib mesylate

## Quick facts

**Group**
[BRAF and MEK inhibitors](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/braf-and-mek-inhibitors/)

**Target**
BRAF serine/threonine kinase (V600E/K mutants)

**Used for**
BRAF V600E/K melanoma · BRAF V600E low-grade glioma

**Key effects**
Fever and chills · Skin thickening · Headache

**Monitor**
BRAF V600 mutation test · Skin examinations before

**ATC**
L01EC02

No doses: the clinician sets them by the current guideline.

On this page

- The basics Mechanism of action
- Indications
- Adverse effects
- Pharmacokinetics
- Memory aid

- Clinical What the labels mean

- Safety Contraindications
- Key interactions
- What is monitored
- Administration and safety
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Nursing care

- Study Test yourself

- Connections Connections

## Mechanism of action

✂**BRAF serine/threonine kinase (V600E/K mutants)**Dabrafenib

ⓘ The figure shows dabrafenib in the ATP pocket of the human BRAF V600E kinase domain.

**Target in 3D:** BRAF serine/threonine kinase (V600E/K mutants). PDB structure 4XV2 (RCSB PDB, public domain). [View the structure at RCSB PDB](https://www.rcsb.org/structure/4XV2) · Drag to rotate · pinch to zoom

Dabrafenib blocks the ATP site of mutant BRAF (V600E, V600K, V600D) and, at higher concentrations, wild-type BRAF and CRAF. This cuts the MAPK signal that drives the tumour. Resistance to the drug alone appears within months, so it is combined with the MEK inhibitor trametinib, which also delays the new skin squamous cell cancers seen with BRAF inhibitors alone.

- BRAF V600E keeps the MAPK pathway switched on
- Dabrafenib blocks the ATP site of mutant BRAF
- Paired with trametinib to block MEK and delay resistance

## Indications

- BRAF V600E/K melanoma, unresectable or metastatic (alone or with trametinib) and after surgery when lymph nodes are involved (with trametinib). [Melanoma →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/melanoma/)
- BRAF V600E metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, with trametinib. [Lung cancer →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/lung-cancer/)
- BRAF V600E anaplastic thyroid cancer without local treatment options, with trametinib. [Follicular, oncocytic (Hürthle cell) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/follicular-oncocytic-and-anaplastic-thyroid-carcinoma/)
- BRAF V600E low-grade glioma in children who need systemic therapy, with trametinib. [Childhood brain tumours (medulloblastoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma) →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/childhood-brain-tumours/)
- BRAF V600E solid tumours without other options, with trametinib (accelerated approval).

## Adverse effects

### Common

- Fever and chills (especially with trametinib)
- Skin thickening, papillomas, rash, dry skin, hair loss
- Headache, joint and muscle pain
- Nausea, diarrhoea, decreased appetite
- Cough and fatigue

### Serious (rare, important)

- New primary skin cancers (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma) and other malignancies
- Severe fever reactions, with chills, dizziness or reduced urine
- Eye problems: pain, red or swollen eyelids, light sensitivity, blurred vision
- Haemorrhage
- Hyperglycaemia; cardiomyopathy

## Contraindications

- Tumours without a BRAF V600 mutation (no benefit)

## Key interactions

**Hormonal contraceptives (pills, patches, rings, injections)**
Made less effective; a non-hormonal method is used.

**Strong CYP2C8 or CYP3A4 inducers**
Lower dabrafenib levels and can cause loss of effect.

## What is monitored

- BRAF V600 mutation test of the tumour before starting
- Skin examinations before, during and for months after treatment
- Temperature and kidney function when fever occurs
- Blood glucose in people with diabetes
- Eye symptoms

## Administration and safety

- Oral, on an empty stomach, away from meals; capsules are swallowed whole.
- Tablets for oral suspension are dispersed in water and drunk at once.
- Dabrafenib (BRAF) and trametinib (MEK) are separate drugs given together: check both on the order.

## Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Avoid in pregnancy. Can harm the fetus: a pregnancy test is done before starting and non-hormonal contraception is used during and after treatment, because the drug makes hormonal contraceptives less effective; breastfeeding is avoided.

## Nursing care

- Teach to check temperature and to call promptly for fever, chills or shaking.
- Teach to report new warts, sores or changing moles; arrange skin examinations.
- Report eye pain, redness or blurred vision.
- Confirm a negative pregnancy test and teach non-hormonal contraception (the pill may fail).

## Pharmacokinetics

**Absorption**
Oral, twice daily, on an empty stomach.

**Metabolism**
Liver, CYP2C8 and CYP3A4.

**Half-life**
About 8 hours.

## Memory aid

«dabRAFenib + traMEtinib»: the names say the targets, RAF and ME(K); fever is the flag of the pair.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why is dabrafenib combined with trametinib?

To block BRAF and MEK together, which delays resistance and reduces new skin squamous cell cancers.

## What is the most typical reaction of the dabrafenib + trametinib pair?

Fever (pyrexia) with chills.

## Which contraceptive method is advised with dabrafenib, and why?

A non-hormonal method, because dabrafenib makes hormonal contraceptives less effective.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/pharmacology/dabrafenib/)

[More Pharmacology questions →](https://durgical.com/en/practice/?f=pharmacology)

## What the labels mean

**High alert**
An error with this medicine can cause serious harm: double checks and protocols are used.

**Pregnancy: avoid**
Avoid in pregnancy. Can harm the fetus: a pregnancy test is done before starting and non-hormonal contraception is used during and after treatment, because the drug makes…

## Connections

## Related drugs 3

- [Trametinib](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/trametinib/)
- [Encorafenib](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/encorafenib/)
- [Vemurafenib](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/vemurafenib/)

## Related conditions 4

- [Melanoma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/melanoma/)
- [Lung cancer](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/lung-cancer/)
- [Follicular, oncocytic (Hürthle cell) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/follicular-oncocytic-and-anaplastic-thyroid-carcinoma/)
- [Childhood brain tumours (medulloblastoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/childhood-brain-tumours/)

[← Back to the class: BRAF and MEK inhibitors](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/braf-and-mek-inhibitors/)

Educational content on how drugs work; not a prescribing guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [Dabrafenib: MedlinePlus Drug Information](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a613038.html) (MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 2025); [Dabrafenib Mesylate - NCI](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/dabrafenib) (National Cancer Institute, 2024); [ATCDDD - ATC/DDD Index](https://atcddd.fhi.no/atc_ddd_index/?code=L01EC02) (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, 2026).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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