Singapore: National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided to recommend Bristol-Myers Squibb's YERVOY (ipilimumab), which is approved in the European Union for the treatment of previously-treated metastatic (advanced) melanoma, within the Final Appraisal Determination (FAD).

"Today's decision is very welcome news and marks a major milestone in the treatment of advanced melanoma," said Dr Paul Lorigan, senior lecturer, medical oncology, Christie NHS Foundation Trust. "Ipilimumab's potential to provide a long-term survival benefit in some patients makes it an important treatment option and represents a genuine step change in the management of this disease."

Metastatic melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer with an average life expectancy of just six to nine months and a one-year mortality rate of 75 percent. YERVOY is the only approved treatment for metastatic melanoma to deliver a durable long-term survival benefit at two years for 24 percent of patients.

Ms Beatrice Cazala, executive vice president, commercial operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb, said that, "YERVOY, the first-approved compound from our immuno-oncology pipeline, exemplifies how this type of medical innovation can address a significant unmet clinical need. We are pleased that our close collaboration with NICE on this appraisal over the past year has resulted in an outcome that is in the best interest of patients. Today's decision supports the UK government's statement that access to innovative medicines is a key driver for better patient outcomes."