Interesting news that NICE has approved 'in record time' the NHS adoption of a cocktail of Bristol-Myers-Squibb immunotherapy drugs for the treatment of aggressive skin cancers such as melanomas (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/17/drug-combination-skin-cancer-melanoma-approved-nhs-nivolumab-ipilimumab). Apparently, one drug (Nivolumab) attaches itself to the T-cells (thymus cells) that are part of our body's immune recognition system, preventing the cancer cells from being taken to be identical to normal cells (the immune system destroys protein identified as 'foreign'). The second drug (Ipilimumab) encourages the multiplication of T-cells that destroy the cancer. Costs of the drugs were agreed to enable NICE to see an effect well below the NICE cost-effectiveness upper limit of £30k per year of quality life gained. A very timely development!
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