Bristol Myers Squibb gets European Commission nod for Opdivo plus Yervoy to treat colorectal cancer

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe and patients are in need of new treatment options that delay disease progression. Approximately 5-7% of metastatic colorectal cancer patients have MSI-H/dMMR tumors and these patients are less likely to benefit from conventional chemotherapy and typically have poor prognosis outcomes,” said Dana Walker, M.D., M.S.C.E., vice president, Opdivo global program lead, Bristol Myers Squibb. “The EC’s decision to approve Opdivo plus Yervoy represents a significant milestone for this patient population in the European Union and underscores our commitment to advancing treatment options.”

Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the body’s own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers.

The decision is based on results from the CheckMate -8HW trial, which were presented at medical congresses earlier this year. These data formed the basis for the Company’s application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the study, Opdivo plus Yervoy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the dual primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) and reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 79% compared to the investigator’s choice of chemotherapy as assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR). The safety profile for the dual immunotherapy combination remained consistent with previously reported data and was manageable with established protocols, with no new safety signals identified.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is cancer that develops in the colon or the rectum, which are part of the body’s digestive or gastrointestinal system. CRC is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. In 2020, it is estimated that there were approximately 1,931,000 new cases of the disease; it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women combined.

Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) occurs when the proteins that repair mismatch errors in DNA replication are missing or non-functional, leading to microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors. Approximately 5-7% of metastatic CRC patients have dMMR or MSI-H tumors. These patients are less likely to benefit from conventional chemotherapy and typically have a poor prognosis.

This approval by the EC for Opdivo plus Yervoy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with MSI-H or dMMR unresectable or mCRC is valid in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. In addition to approval in colorectal cancer, Opdivo- based options are also approved for treatment of multiple tumor types in the EU.

Read also: Bristol Myers Squibb gets positive CHMP opinion for Opdivo plus Yervoy to treat adult with MSI-H or dMMR metastatic Colorectal Cancer