BMS Immunotherapy Combo Gets Two FDA Nods for GI Cancers in Span of a Week

The pairing of two Bristol Myers Squibb immunotherapies is now permitted for the first-line treatment of two types of gastrointestinal cancers, after regulatory decisions handed out this past week that convert the accelerated approval status of the drug combination to full FDA approval in both indications.

The drugs, Opdivo and Yervoy, belong to the class of medicines called checkpoint inhibitors. On April 8, the FDA approved use of this drug combination for adults and children age 12 and older whose colorectal cancer has metastasized or cannot be removed by surgery. The cancer must also be microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR), references to biomarkers that indicate the stability of DNA in a tumor.

The regulatory submission was based on the results of an open-label Phase 3 test that compared the Opdivo/Yervoy combination to either Opdivo alone or chemotherapy. Results showed the immunotherapy combination led to a 38% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared to Opdivo monotherapy, and by 79% compared to chemo, both in the first-line setting. The study is ongoing to assess secondary measures, including overall survival. BMS said it will continue working with study investigators to present these data and longer-term follow-up results in the future.

On April 11, the FDA approved the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy for treating advanced cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. In the pivotal test in this indication, the drug combination led to median overall survival of 23.7 months. The comparator arm, in which patients received standard of care drugs sorafenib or levantinib, median overall survival was 20.6 months. At three years, the drug combination showed an overall survival rate of 38% versus 24% in the comparator arm. FDA approval of Opdivo plus Yervoy in hepatocellular carcinoma follows the European Commission’s early March approval of the drug combination in this indication.

There’s plenty of news on the regulatory front. Here’s a recap of other recent highlights:

New and Expanded Regulatory Approvals

—Argenx drug Vyvgart Hytrulo received an additional approval for dosing of the product via a prefilled syringe. The drug, supplied in vials, previously received FDA approvals for the autoimmune conditions chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and generalized myasthenia gravis. Analysts say prefilled syringes bring patients a more convenient dosing option while giving Argenx the opportunity to get more market share by penetrating into earlier lines of therapy.

—Amgen’s Uplizna expanded its label to include the treatment of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that can affect multiple organs. The regulatory decision makes the intravenously infused antibody the first FDA-approved treatment for this rare and chronic disease. Uplizna was first approved in 2020 as a treatment for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

—Bayer’s Viktrakvi now has full FDA approval for the treatment of NTRK gene fusion-positive solid tumors in adults and children without a known acquired resistance mutation. The drug received accelerated approval in this indication in 2018.

—AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo welcomed European Union approval of Datroway as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer that is HR positive and HER2 negative. Datroway received FDA approval in the same indication in January. The drug is an antibody drug conjugate designed to target the cancer protein TROP2.

—Novartis drug atrasentan, brand name Vanrafia, was awarded accelerated approval as a new treatment for the kidney disorder immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). The drug is an oral small molecule designed to block the endothelin A receptor. It’s one of two IgAN nephropathy drugs that came via the $3.2 billion acquisition of Chinook Therapeutics in 2023. Novartis’s internal IgAN research yielded the complement inhibitor Fabhalta, which received accelerated approval in this indication last summer.

—Speaking of Fabhalta, that Novartis drug expanded its label to include C3 glomerulopathy, making the twice-daily pill the first approved treatment for this rare kidney disorder. Fabhalta is a small molecule designed to block the complement protein C3. It was first approved in 2023 as a treatment for the rare blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

—Sanofi received FDA approval for fitusiran, brand name Qfitlia, as a treatment for both hemophilia A and B. The drug leverages RNA interference to lower levels of AT, a protein that inhibits blood clotting. The approval covers the treatment of adults and children age 12 and older with or without inhibitors, which are antibodies that can develop in hemophilia patients, making it more difficult to control bleeding. By contrast, new Pfizer drug Hympavzi is approved only for hemophilia A and B patients without inhibitors while Sanofi’s Alhemo is approved only for hemophilia A and B patients with inhibitors.

—Blockbuster AstraZeneca cancer immunotherapy landed European Union approval for the treatment of limited-stage small cell lung cancer. This new approval is based on Phase 3 results showing a 27% reduction in the risk of death compared to a placebo. The FDA approved Imfinzi for this indication last December.

—Imfinzi also added perioperative treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer to its list of FDA-approved indications. The newest FDA nod covers use of the drug in combination with chemotherapy before surgery to remove the bladder, followed by Imfinzi as an adjuvant monotherapy. In the pivotal study supporting this new indication, results showed a 32% reduction in the risk of cancer recurrence and a 25% reduction in the risk of death compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone.

—The European Commission approved Pfizer vaccine Abrysvo for protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The regulatory decision expands the vaccine’s approval to adults ages 18 to 59. European regulators initially approved the vaccine in 2023 for preventing lower respiratory tract disease in adults age 60 and older. Abrysvo won FDA approval the same year.

—The FDA expanded approval of Novartis’s Pluvicto to include use as an earlier line of treatment — after anti-androgen drugs and before chemotherapy — for PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Pluvicto was initially approved in 2022 for PSMA-positive mCRPC that has already been treated with an anti-androgen drug and chemotherapy. Novartis said this expansion is important because about half of patients do not live long enough to receive a second-line treatment.

—Exelixis cancer drug Cabometyx expanded its FDA-approved uses to advanced cases of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) and extra-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (epNET). The approval covers adults and children age 12 and older. Cabometyx is a small molecule designed to block enzymes that support cancer growth. The drug was first approved in 2016 for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

—GSK landed FDA approval for Blujepa, an oral antibiotic developed to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections. While drugs are already available for these infections, they can become resistant to treatment. Blujepa is designed to block two enzyme targets key to bacterial DNA replication, an approach intended to lower the potential for drug resistance.

—The European Commission approved Capvaxive, a pneumococcal vaccine developed by Merck to protect against the 21 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes that lead to the majority of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease including eight that are not covered by any other available pneumococcal vaccine. The European regulatory decision covers adults age 18 and older. Capvaxive received FDA approval last July.

—Bristol Myers Squibb’s Breyanzi received European Commission approval for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. The CAR T-therapy received accelerated FDA approval in this indication last May.

—Geron Corporation’s Rytelo received European Commission approval for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia caused by lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, a progressive type of blood cancer. The intravenously infused drug is the first telomerase inhibitor to reach the market. Rytelo landed FDA approval last June.

—Neffy, an epinephrine nasal spray that ARS Pharmaceuticals developed to treat allergic reactions to insect bites, medications, and food, expanded its FDA approval to include patients weighing 15 to 30 kilograms (about 33 to 60 pounds). The product’s initial approval last year covered its use in patients weighing 30 kg or more.

—Roche subsidiary Genentech received FDA approval for tenecteplase, brand name TNKase, as a treatment for acute ischemic stroke in adults. Genentech said TNKase is the first stroke medicine approved by the FDA in nearly 30 years. It’s the second approved indication for the clot-busting drug. The FDA approved it in 2000 for treating acute myocardial infarction.

—A Neurotech Pharmaceuticals cell and gene therapy administered via a surgical implant received FDA approval for the treatment of macular telangectasia type 2. The therapy, brand name Encelto, is the first approved treatment for this rare vision-loss disorder.

Regulatory Setbacks

—The FDA missed the April 1 regulatory decision target date for Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine. Politico reported the holdup was due to the intervention of Sara Brenner, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, who asked for more data. Novavax said it has responded to all of the FDA’s information requests and believes the application is ready for approval based on the submitted Phase 3 data.

Novavax’s protein-based vaccine initially received FDA emergency use authorization in 2022, a status that it retained under amended authorizations in 2023 and last year, both times for new formulas that covered the prevalent variants at the time. Full FDA approval would put the vaccine on par with the approved messenger RNA vaccines marketed by Pfizer and Moderna. Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine will be co-commercialized with Sanofi under a partnership announced last year.

—Roche paused European clinical tests of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys, the pharmaceutical giant said in a letter to the World Duchenne Organization. The move follows Sarepta Therapeutics’ recent report of a liver failure-associated patient death. Roche said the European Medicines Agency asked for a clinical hold on four studies until the inquiry into the cause of death is complete. Under a 2019 deal with Sarepta, Roche holds rights to Elevidys outside of the U.S.

—For the second time, the FDA has rejected Aldeyra Therapeutics drug reproxalap as a treatment for dry eye disease. The agency turned down an application for the drug in 2023. According to Aldeyra, the FDA’s latest complete response letter said the new drug application failed to demonstrate efficacy. The regulator asked the company to run at least one more clinical trial. Among the concerns raised by the FDA is differences in baseline scores, which may have affected interpretation of trial results. Aldeyra said results from two ongoing studies are expected later in the current quarter, potentially paving the way for a mid-year resubmission of the application.

—The European Medicines Agency refused marketing authorization for Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s disease drug Kisunla. Safety was the main reason cited, particularly the brain inflammation and bleeding that is a known complication risk associated with all drugs in the same class of Alzheimer’s medicines. The agency said the drug’s benefits were not enough to outweigh the potentially fatal safety risks. The FDA approved Kisunla last July.

—In other Alzheimer’s drug news, Eisai again failed to persuade Australia’s drugs regulator to register Leqembi. The pharma company had asked the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) to reconsider its October 2024 decision to not register the drug in Australia. Eisai’s request for reconsideration covered a narrower indication, but Eisai said the TGA did not agree that safety has been established for these patients.

Photo: Jeremy Moeller, Getty Images