Opdivo (nivolumab) + Chemotherapy is approved by the European Commission for Patients with HER2 Negative, Advanced or Metastatic Gastric, Gastroesophageal Junction or Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

PRINCETON, N.J. (10/21/2021)

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with HER2-negative advanced or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), or esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 5.

The EC’s decision is based on results from the Phase 3 CheckMate -649 trial, in which first-line treatment with Opdivo plus leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) or capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CapeOX) was compared with chemotherapy alone. Results from the trial showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC), GEJ cancer (GEJC) or EAC whose tumors express PD-L1 with a CPS ≥ 5 (the primary endpoints of the study). The statistically significant OS benefit shown with Opdivo plus chemotherapy was also observed in PD-L1 positive patients with CPS ≥ 1 and in the all-randomized population. The safety profile observed for Opdivo plus chemotherapy in the CheckMate -649 trial was consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual treatments.

CheckMate -649 Efficacy and Safety Results in Patients with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 5

Results from CheckMate -649 include:

• OS (minimum follow‑up of 19.4 months): Median OS was 14.4 months in patients receiving Opdivoplus chemotherapy (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 13.1 to 16.3) compared to 11.1 months (95% CI: 10.0 to 12.1) in patients receiving chemotherapy alone (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.69; 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.81).
• PFS (minimum follow‑up of 19.4 months): Median PFS was 8.31 months in patients receiving Opdivoplus chemotherapy (95% CI: 7.03 to 9.26) vs. 6.05 months (95% CI: 5.55 to 6.90) in patients receiving chemotherapy alone (HR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.79).
• Safety: The most frequent adverse reactions were peripheral neuropathy (53%), nausea (48%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), abdominal pain (27%), constipation (25%), musculoskeletal pain (20%), pyrexia (19%), rash (18%), stomatitis (17%), palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (13%), cough (13%), oedema (including peripheral oedema) (12%), headache (11%), and upper respiratory tract infection (10%).

The EC approval allows for the use of Opdivo in combination with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based combination chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with HER2-negative advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), or esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 5 in the 27 member states of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

SOURCE

https://news.bms.com/news/corporate-financial/2021/Bristol-Myers-Squibb-Receives-European-Commission-Approval-for-Opdivo-nivolumab--Chemotherapy-for-Patients-with-HER2-Negative-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Gastric-Gastroesophageal-Junction-or-Esophageal-Adenocarcinoma-/default.aspx