Dive Brief:
- Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) is currently approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma and advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The medication has now also won an FDA priority review for treatment of kidney cancer.
- The trial Checkmate-025 was stopped early after Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) proved more effective than the standard of care everolimus in providing a survival advantage to advanced kidney cancer patients.
- Renal cell carcinoma leads to more than 100,000 deaths in year in the U.S.
Dive Insight:
Opdivo, an anti-PD-1 (programmed death-1) monoclonal antibody, has been on the market for less than a year, and already it is fast-tracking its way to a third indication. BMS continues to design trials in which patients demonstrate high response rates to Opdivo.
There have been numerous estimates regarding anticipated annual revenues for Opdivo—but the numbers keep growing. At this point, analysts are expecting "billions of dollars per year" in revenues.
BMS is a leader in a cutting-edge therapeutic arena—immuno-oncology, which also includes Merck, Roche and AstraZeneca, and is estimated to be worth $35 billion per year overall.