Cocktail of skin cancer drugs 'shrinks melanomas'

Conclusion This phase I study has suggested that combining two drugs – nivolumab and ipilimumab – can produce a response in people with advanced melanoma with an acceptable safety profile. This type of study is a first step in human studies of new drugs or combinations of drugs. The authors themselves note that some caution is required due to the small size of the study and the potential for the participants not to be representative of the wider patient population. The results in this study mean the researchers are likely to carry out larger studies comparing this combination of drugs against the combined drugs alone and possibly against other treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended ipilimumab given alone as an option for treating advanced melanoma (that has spread (metastatic) or cannot be surgically removed) in people who have received previous treatment. Nivolumab is a new drug which has not yet gone through the procedure to be granted a license for general use in Europe. Given the generally positive results of this study, it is likely the manufacturer will seek a licence at some point in the future. This usually requires the results of phase III trials to be available. If this does happen, it is likely that NICE will review the evidence on the drug either alone or in combination with ipilimumab to make a decision on whether it should be made available on the NHS for people with advanced melanoma. Analysis by Bazian. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news