Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that CheckMate-9LA, a pivotal Phase III trial evaluating Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with low-dose Yervoy (ipilimumab), met its primary endpoint of superior overall survival (OS).
The study was evaluating the combination against chemotherapy alone for the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The results build on the benefits the combination has previously shown in first-line melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and most recently lung cancer, and “may provide a new therapeutic option for patients,” explained the company.
Fouad Namouni, head of Oncology Development at BMS, continued: “We are excited by the CheckMate -9LA results, which demonstrate the potential of Opdivo plus low-dose Yervoy to provide a survival benefit to patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the first-line setting when administered concomitantly with a limited course of chemotherapy.”
On the news, shares of the company rose 5% to $56 in premarket trading.
Back in June of this year the combination demonstrated a clear trend towards improvement in overall survival compared Nexavar in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as positive results in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer back in February.
BMS revealed that it will complete a full evaluation of the CheckMate-9LA data in the near future.
