Ipilimumab: How it works
*Ipilimumab is one of a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which stimulate the body's own immune system to fight disease. The experimental treatment is being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medarex, a US biotech company. The drug is being trialled on malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, Hodgkin's disease, lung cancer and prostate cancer. Studies are most advanced in melanoma, where it has been shown to prolong survival in patients with advanced forms of the disease. In the Mayo Clinic study of prostate cancer, researchers say that standard hormone treatment ignited the immune response, and adding ipilimumab was like "pouring gasoline on the pilot light".
Not as good results with the skin cancer trial.
Found this on Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipilimumab:
On December 10, 2007, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medarex released the results of three studies on ipilimumab. One of the three studies failed to meet its primary goal of shrinking tumors in at least 10.0% of the study's 155 patients. The three studies tested 487 patients with advanced skin cancer. Side effects are often considered acceptable risks for cancer drugs given the severity of the disease, and ipilimumab is no exception. The medication caused rashes, diarrhea and hepatitis in a number of the patients being tested. Despite the weaker-than-anticipated results, the companies are still planning to meet with regulatory agencies to discuss moving ahead with the medication. They hope to submit a filing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval in the first half of 2008. Since patients suffering from extremely serious diseases like melanoma have so few treatment options, the companies believe that even the marginal success rate will be appealing to some.
Still, it's an option for some when there was none, even a glimmer of hope no matter how small is always better than nothing at all.