Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Show High Response To Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo
By Cyndi Root
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) reported positive results from a Phase 1b trial evaluating Opdivo (nivolumab) in patients with relapsed or refractory hematological malignancies. The company announced the study findings in a press release, stating that it was also detailing the data in a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and at the annual meeting of the American Society for Hematology. Philippe Armand, M.D., PhD, Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said, “These findings with Opdivo are incredibly encouraging because they show that an immuno-oncology approach with a check point blockade has the potential to be applied to lymphomas.”
Opdivo
Opdivo (nivolumab) is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor, an immunotherapy treatment. The agent helps expose malignancies to the immune system, thereby enabling the immune system to stop cancer cells. BMS is investigating the agent in over 50 trials for a variety of cancer types. The development program includes studies as a single-agent or in combination with other treatments.
BMS is reporting on the CheckMate -039 trial and the cohort of patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). Standard treatment of HL patients usually consists of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. If the disease reoccurs, treatment is an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Dr. Armand stated that many patients have only short-lived responses to standard treatments.
In the cohort of 23 patients who were treated with Opdivo, the results showed an overall response rate of 87 percent and stable disease in 13 percent. Of the patients with a partial or complete response, 60 percent achieved it within eight weeks. At week 24, 86 percent of patients lived without the disease progressing. BMS states that safety results were consistent with findings on the drug during other studies.
BMS’ Immuno-Oncology Program
Bristol-Myers Squibb is working heavily in the field of immune-oncology because standard treatments like surgery, radiation, and cytotoxic therapies have not cured patients or significantly improved long-term survival. The company is exploring biological treatments that use the immune system to fight cancer and partnering with other companies to develop new agents. Opdivo is under contract with Ono Pharmaceutical for commercialization in selected territories. In November 2014, BMS partnered with Five Prime Therapeutics to use a combination of BMS’ Opdivo and Five Prime’s FPA008 to treat malignant tumors.