UK Approves Opdivo/Yervoy Immunotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma

Patients with unresectable pleural mesothelioma cancer throughout the United Kingdom will now have the immunotherapy combination of Opdivo and Yervoy as an option after its recent approval by the National Health Service for first-line treatment. The long-awaited approval comes almost two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a similar approval of Opdivo and Yervoy. It brings new hope to a region particularly hard hit by this rare cancer caused primarily by exposure to asbestos. Opdivo and Yervoy, known generically as nivolumab and ipilimumab, respectively, are manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb. NHS is the single-payer, publicly funded health care system in the United Kingdom and the second largest of its type in the world. Until now, only UK patients in a clinical trial or those paying privately were given the immunotherapy option. “The NHS is delighted that this new drug combination will now be available for this aggressive type of cancer,” said Dr. Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England. “Up to now, we’ve had limited options for treatment.” The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued its final appraisal document recommending the immunotherapy combination in July. It was the first new recommendation for pleural mesothelioma in the United Kingdom in 14 years.  Effectiveness of Drugs Have Been Mixed For years, standard-of-care treatment for mesothelioma involved a chemotherapy ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Immunotherapy Mesothelioma Treatment Source Type: news