Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has announced that its Opdivo (nivolumab) has been accepted, in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab), by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for the treatment of adults with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Scotland and around 4,000 people are diagnosed with the disease there annually. Colorectal cancer is more common in men and people over the age of 50, but rates of early-onset colorectal cancer are rising in younger adults, both in the UK and globally.
Around 4-7% of patients with mCRC have either dMMR or MSI-H tumours. These tumours show reduced benefit from standard therapies and typically carry a poor prognosis.
Advertisement
The SMC’s decision is based on results from the phase 3 CheckMate 8HW trial. In the trial, the Opdivo/Yervoy combination treatment showed significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS): after 24 months, combination-treated patients had a 72% incidence of PFS, compared to 14% for those treated with the investigator’s choice of chemotherapy.
The combination treatment also showed a favourable safety profile consistent with previous data, and no new safety signals were observed.
Professor Richard Wilson, consultant in medical oncology at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and professor of gastro-intestinal oncology at the University of Glasgow, said: “We can now offer the nivolumab and ipilimumab immunotherapy earlier for those with dMMR unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer, which has been shown to result in prolonged PFS with improved quality of life compared to the chemotherapy-based treatments we have previously used.”
Guy Oliver, UK and Ireland general manager at BMS, added: “This is a significant milestone for eligible unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer patients in Scotland.”
