Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced topline results from the CheckMate -214 trial investigating Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab) versus sunitinib in intermediate and poor-risk patients previously untreated advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
The combination met the co-primary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR) and achieved a 41.6% ORR versus 26.5% for sunitinib. Median duration of response was not reached for the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy and was 18.17 months for sunitinib. While there was an improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) (HR=0.82, [95% CI 0.64 – 1.05]; stratified 2-sided p=0.03), it did not reach statistical significance. The median PFS was 11.56 months (95% CI 8.71 – 15.51) for the Opdivo and Yervoy combination versus 8.38 months (95% CI 7.03-10.81) for sunitinib, The study will continue as planned to allow the third co-primary endpoint of overall survival to mature. The tolerability profile observed in CheckMate-214 was consistent with that observed in previously reported studies of this dosing schedule.
“We are encouraged by the totality of the CheckMate-214 data. The overall response rate and durability of response favored the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy, and the trend for PFS supports the potential of the combination in intermediate and poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer. This is an important study in first-line renal cancer as these patients need new options,” said Vicki Goodman, M.D., development lead, Melanoma and Genitourinary Cancers, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We look forward to presenting the full results from this study at an upcoming medical meeting.”
“Opdivo is now well established as standard of care in the treatment of second-line renal cell carcinoma,” said Goodman. “The company plans to share these important first-line data with regulatory authorities and we look forward to reporting overall survival when these data mature.”
CheckMate -214 is a phase 3, randomized, open-label study evaluating the combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy versus sunitinib in patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Patients in the combination group received Opdivo 3 mg/kg plus Yervoy 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks for 4 doses followed by Opdivo 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Patients in the comparator group received sunitinib 50 mg once daily for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks off before continuation of treatment. Patients were treated until progression or unacceptable toxic effects. The primary endpoints of the trial are progression-free survival, overall survival and objective response rate in an intermediate to poor-risk patient population (approximately 75 percent of patients). The majority of alpha was allocated to overall survival. Safety is a secondary endpoint.
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.
Opdivo’s leading global development programme is based on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development programme has enrolled more than 25,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression.
In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 60 countries, including the United States, the European Union and Japan. In October 2015, the company’s Opdivo and Yervoy combination regimen was the first I-O combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 50 countries, including the United States and the European Union.