Bristol-Myers Squibb boasts impressive 5-year melanoma OS data on Opdivo/Yervoy combo, though it still can't pinpoint who should take it
BARCELONA — Two years ago Bristol-Myers Squibb took the stage at AACR to showcase some impressive 5-year survival rates with Opdivo, underscoring the durability of the PD-1 inhibitor and flagging tumor mutation burden as a potential biomarker to predict response. At ESMO Congress 2019, the spotlight is on melanoma — but the search for a predictive signal seems ever elusive.
Now the longest Phase III follow-up involving a checkpoint combo, the 5-year OS datacut of Checkmate-067 extends an impressive streak on display the year before. Among 945 patients with stage III and IV melanoma split into three equal groups, the rates are 52% for Opdivo plus Yervoy, 44% for Opdivo, and 26% for Yervoy (For reference, at 4 years the combo scored 53%, Opdivo alone had 46%, while Yervoy monotherapy registered 30%).
To understand how remarkable this is, one must revisit the past, said study author James Larkin in an ESMO statement, when metastatic melanoma was considered untreatable.
Sign up to read this article for free.
Get free access to a limited number of articles, plus choose newsletters to get straight to your inbox.
