News
FDA approves Opdivo + Yervoy as the first and only immunotherapy treatment for previously untreated unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.- BMS
Bristol Myers Squibb announced that Opdivo (nivolumab) 360 mg every three weeks plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) 1 mg/kg every six weeks (injections for intravenous use) was approved by the FDA for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).
This approval is based on a pre-specified interim analysis from the Phase III CheckMate -743 trial in which Opdivo + Yervoy (n=303) demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) versus the platinum-based standard of care chemotherapy (n=302) (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.74 [95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.61 to 0.89]; P=0.002), with a median OS (mOS) of 18.1 months (95% CI: 16.8 to 21.5) versus 14.1 months (95% CI: 12.5 to 16.2), respectively. These results were observed after 22.1 months of minimum follow-up. At two years, 41% of patients treated with Opdivo + Yervoy were alive and 27% with chemotherapy.
“Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer with limited treatment options. When it is diagnosed in advanced stages, the five-year survival rate is approximately 10 percent,” said study investigator Anne S. Tsao, M.D., professor and Section Chief Thoracic Medical Oncology and Director of the Mesothelioma Program at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “The survival results from the CheckMate -743 trial show that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab could become a new front-line standard of care option. This is exciting news, instilling hope for patients with this devastating disease and for the healthcare providers who care for them.”
CheckMate -743 is an open-label, multi-center, randomized Phase III trial evaluating Opdivo plus Yervoy compared to chemotherapy (pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin) in patients with histologically confirmed unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma and no prior systemic therapy or palliative radiotherapy within 14 days of initiation of therapy (n=605). Patients with interstitial lung disease, active autoimmune disease, medical conditions requiring systemic immunosuppression, or active brain metastasis were excluded from the trial.In the trial, 303 patients were randomized to receive Opdivo 3 mg/kg every two weeks and Yervoy 1 mg/kg every six weeks; 302 patients were randomized to receive cisplatin 75 mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC 5 plus pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 in 3-week cycles for six cycles. Treatment in both arms continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or, in the Opdivo + Yervoy arm, up to 24 months. The primary endpoint of the trial was OS in all randomized patients. Additional efficacy outcome measures included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR), as assessed by BICR utilizing modified RECIST criteria.
Condition: Malignant Mesothelioma
Type: drug