Bristol-Myers Squibb receives EU approval for new lung cancer therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that its PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Nivolumab BMS has been approved as a lung cancer therapy in Europe.

The European Commission has approved Nivolumab BMS for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer after prior chemotherapy. It is the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to demonstrate overall survival benefits in this patient group.

Results from the CheckMate -017 and -063 clinical trials have demonstrated the superior clinical benefits the drug can offer across a variety of endpoints compared to the standard of care.

Non-small cell lung cancer is one of the most common types of the disease, accounting for approximately 85 percent of lung cancer cases.

Emmanuel Blin, senior vice-president and head of commercialisation, policy and operations at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "Patients in Europe have for the first time in more than ten years access to an entirely new treatment modality for advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer, which has the potential to replace the current standard of care."

This comes after the firm had its combination HIV-1 therapy Evotaz approved by the European Commission earlier this month.