BMS Reports Over 40% 10-Year Survival for Melanoma Combo Therapy

Bristol Myers Squibb recently showcased the positive Phase III results of its already approved Opdivo-Yervoy combination therapy for treating melanoma at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona. Separately, the company announced it would be returning the bispecific T cell engager IMA401 to its original developer, Immatics.

The recent long-term data revealed that 43% of patients who received the Opdivo-Yervoy combo for melanoma were still alive after 10 years. Historically, this patient group faced a harsh prognosis, with only about 25% surviving one year post-diagnosis. The data was not only presented at the ESMO Congress but also published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) reported that with a decade of follow-up, the median overall survival rate in their late-stage trial was 71.9 months for patients treated with the Opdivo-Yervoy combination. This marks the longest reported median overall survival in a Phase III advanced melanoma trial to date. The combo received approval for metastatic melanoma in October 2015.

Dana Walker, Vice President and Global Program Lead for melanoma and gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers at Bristol Myers Squibb, emphasized the transformative impact of this treatment. "Just over a decade ago, an advanced melanoma diagnosis meant that you likely only had months to live. The dual immunotherapy combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy has radically changed this outlook for many of these patients," Walker stated.

For those treated solely with Opdivo, the median overall survival rate was 36.9 months, while for Yervoy alone, it was 19.9 months. Additionally, among all patients in the trial, 64% who received the combination, 50% of those who got just Opdivo, and 33% treated with just Yervoy did not need any subsequent systemic therapy after 10 years.

Meanwhile, in another part of its cancer portfolio, BMS decided to end its collaboration with Immatics concerning the bispecific T cell engager IMA401. This deal, originally signed in December 2021, involved an upfront payment of $150 million and potential milestones amounting to $770 million.

Starting December 12, the development and commercialization responsibilities for IMA401 will revert to Immatics. Importantly, Immatics will retain the $150 million already paid out and will not have to refund it. BMS had been conducting a Phase I study for IMA401, but Immatics plans to continue the trial independently, with the next significant data milestone anticipated in 2025.