On 30 January 2025, 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 products nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy).
The marketing authorisation holder for these medicinal products is Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG.
The CHMP adopted a new indication as follows:
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Opdivo in combination with Yervoy is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or advanced HCC.
Detailed recommendations for the use of these products will be described in the updated summaries of product characteristics, which will be published in the revised European public assessment reports and made available in all official European Union languages after a decision on these changes to the marketing authorisations have 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 from adoption of the opinion.
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 and adolescents 12 years of age and older. Relative to nivolumab monotherapy, an increase in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) 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 and adolescents 12 years of age and older with Stage IIB or IIC melanoma, or 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.
Neoadjuvant treatment of NSCLC
OPDIVO in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy is indicated for the neoadjuvant treatment of resectable NSCLC at high risk of recurrence in adult patients whose tumours have PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.
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 in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic 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.
Adjuvant treatment of urothelial carcinoma
OPDIVO as monotherapy is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adults with muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC) with tumour cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%, who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection of MIUC.
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 in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma with tumour cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.
OPDIVO in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma with tumour cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.
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.
Gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction or oesophageal adenocarcinoma
OPDIVO in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with HER2-negative advanced or metastatic gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction or oesophageal adenocarcinoma whose tumours express PD-L1 with a combined positive score ≥ 5.
HCC
OPDIVO in combination with ipilimumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or advanced HCC.
For information, the full indications for Yervoy will be as follows (new indication in bold):
Melanoma
YERVOY as monotherapy or in combination with nivolumab is indicated for the treatment of advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma in adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older. Relative to nivolumab monotherapy, an increase in PFS and OS for the combination of nivolumab with ipilimumab is established only in patients with low tumour PD-L1 expression.
RCC
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with intermediate/poor-risk advanced RCC.
NSCLC
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab 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.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.
dMMR or MSI-H CRC
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab 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
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma with tumour cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.
HCC
YERVOY in combination with nivolumab is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or advanced HCC.