On 24 June 2021, the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending a change to the terms of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product nivolumab (Opdivo).
The marketing authorisation holder for this medicinal product is Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG.
The CHMP adopted a new indication as follows:
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer who have residual pathologic disease following prior neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.
For information, the full indications for OPDIVO will be as follows (new indication in bold):
Melanoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the treatment of advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma in adults.
Relative to nivolumab monotherapy, an increase in progression-free survival and overall survival for the combination of nivolumab with ipilimumab is established only in patients with low tumour PD-L1 expression.
Adjuvant treatment of melanoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adults with melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
OPDIVO in combination with ipilimumab and 2 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy is indicated for the first-line treatment of metastatic NSCLC in adults whose tumours have no sensitising EGFR mutation or ALK translocation.
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC after prior chemotherapy in adults.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma
OPDIVO in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of advanced RCC after prior therapy in adults.
OPDIVO in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with intermediate/poor-risk advanced RCC.
OPDIVO in combination with cabozantinib is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced RCC.
Classical Hodgkin lymphoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma after autologous stem cell transplant and treatment with brentuximab vedotin.
Squamous cell cancer of the head and neck
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck in adults progressing on or after platinum-based therapy.
Urothelial carcinoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in adults after failure of prior platinum-containing therapy.
Mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC)
OPDIVO in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with dMMR or MSI-H metastatic CRC after prior fluoropyrimidine-based combination chemotherapy.
Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy.
Adjuvant treatment of oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer who have residual pathologic disease following prior neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.
Detailed recommendations for the use of this product will be described in the updated summary of product characteristics, which will be published in the revised European public assessment report, and will be available in all official European Union languages after a decision on this change to the marketing authorisation has been granted by the European Commission.
Summaries of positive opinion are published without prejudice to the Commission decision, which will normally be issued 67 days f rom adoption of the opinion.
