Combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab may benefit patients with advanced melanoma.
In a 1,000-word article, the New York Times (6/1, B3, Pollack, Subscription Publication) reports that a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting found that “the combination of two immune-boosting” medications – Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) – “is more effective than either drug alone in treating advanced melanoma.” Those “treated with both drugs went a median of 11.5 months before their disease worsened.”
The Washington Post (5/31, Bernstein) “To Your Health” blog reports, “Nivolumab alone gave patients 6.9 months, and ipilimumab provided 2.9 months.” The data indicated that “more than 70 percent of the patients given both drugs had some kind of positive response to the combination therapy.”
Bloomberg News (5/31, Langreth) reports, however, that “patients in the combination group had a far higher rate of toxic side effects including diarrhea and elevated liver enzymes.”
