Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis to assess new colorectal cancer therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced a new collaboration with Novartis that will assess a new approach to treating colorectal cancer.

The clinical research collaboration will investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Opdivo and Opdivo plus Yervoy in combination with Mekinist among metastatic colorectal cancer patients with microsatellite stable tumours proficient in mismatch repair.

This phase I/II study is expected to establish recommended dosing regimens and explore the preliminary antitumour activity of combining these therapies, with results to be used to determine optimal approaches for further potential clinical development.

It is hoped that this will represent an important step forward in the treatment of colorectal cancer, survival rates for which tend to vary significantly across the globe.

Dr Fouad Namouni, head of oncology development at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "We continue to investigate novel combinations of therapy that may hold the potential to expand the therapeutic benefits of immunotherapy to patients with difficult to treat cancer or those who don't respond."

Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world in July 2014, and has now been approved in more than 60 countries worldwide.

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