(UK) Pioneering cancer drug combination approved

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http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36549674

Pioneering cancer drug combination approved

By James Gallagher
Health editor, BBC News website

6 hours ago

A pioneering pair of cancer drugs that unleash the immune system on tumours will be paid for by the NHS in England. In trials, the combination therapy shrank the most aggressive and deadly type of skin cancer in 69% of patients. The decision to approve the drugs is one of the fastest in NHS history and is likely to be adopted throughout the UK.

Experts said harnessing the body's own defences was now giving "new hope" to cancer patients. The field - known as immunotherapy - is one of the most exciting in cancer treatment.
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Ipilimumab and nivolumab stop the cancers hiding and allow the immune system to attack. (snip) The combination was licensed across Europe only last month. The speed with which it was approved by NICE means patients in England will be the first to have access to the therapy on the continent.

Nivolumab and ipilimumab both work by interrupting the chemical signals that cancers use to convince the immune system they are healthy tissue. Nivolumab blocks the off-switch on white blood cells called PD-1. Ipilimumab blocks a similar switch called CTLA-4.
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It is the dual-action that means the combination therapy works better than either alone. However, the combination also causes inflammation in the bowels and liver as the drugs triggers the immune system to attack healthy tissues.
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[goldent]

1. Hope it works

This was also granted accelerated approval by the FDA last September.