1 October 2015 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab), for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 wild-type unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Today’s announcement marks the first and only FDA approval of a regimen of two immuno-oncology agents in cancer. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

The approval is based on data from the pivotal study, CheckMate -069, which was the first to report outcomes of the Opdivo + Yervoy Regimen in previously untreated patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Results from the trial demonstrated a statistically significant (p<0.001) increase in confirmed objective response rate – the study’s primary endpoint – in patients with BRAF wild-type melanoma treated with the Opdivo + Yervoy Regimen [60% (95% CI: 48-71; p<0.001)] compared to those treated with Yervoy monotherapy [11% (95% CI: 3-25)]. Complete responses were seen in 17% of patients. Partial responses were seen in 43% of the Regimen group and 11% of the Yervoy monotherapy group. The Opdivo + Yervoy Regimen demonstrated a 60% reduction in the risk of progression vs. Yervoy alone (HR=0.40; 95% CI: 0.22-0.71; p<0.002). Median PFS was 8.9 months with the Regimen (95% CI: 7.0, NA) and 4.7 months with Yervoy alone (95% CI: 2.8-5.3).1 This trial provides clinical rationale for targeting the immune system with two Immuno-Oncology agents in metastatic melanoma.

For more details, go to: http://news.bms.com/press-release/bristol-myers-squibb-receives-approval-us-food-and-drug-administration-opdivo-nivoluma