Patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX report significantly improved health-related quality of life in a separate analysis from CheckMate -9ER
Data showing ongoing efficacy benefits and patient-reported outcomes will be presented at the 2021 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium
San Francisco, CA (UroToday.com) -- Bristol Myers Squibb and Exelixis, Inc. announced results from new analyses from the pivotal Phase 3 CheckMate -9ER trial, demonstrating clinically meaningful, sustained efficacy benefits as well as quality of life improvements with the combination of OPDIVO® (nivolumab) and CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib) compared to sunitinib in the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). These data will be presented in two posters at the virtual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2021 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium from February 11 to 13, 2021, and featured in the Poster Highlights Session on February 13, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. EST.
Abstract #308: Nivolumab + cabozantinib (NIVO+CABO) vs. sunitinib (SUN) for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC): outcomes by sarcomatoid histology and updated trial results with extended follow-up of CheckMate -9ER (Motzer, et. al.)
With a median follow-up of two years (23.5 months), OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX continued to show superior progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) versus sunitinib, with a low rate of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) leading to discontinuation. No new safety signals were identified with extended follow-up. Across the full study population:
- PFS: The combination doubled median PFS (17.0 months vs. 8.3 months, respectively; HR 0.52; 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.64), the trial’s primary endpoint, compared to sunitinib.
- ORR: Nearly twice as many patients responded to OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX vs. sunitinib (54.8% vs. 28.4%).
- OS: OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX maintained improvements in OS, demonstrating a 34% reduction in the risk of death compared to sunitinib (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.87).
- Disease control rate: In an exploratory analysis, the combination was associated with a disease control rate (including complete response, partial response and stable disease) of 88.2% vs. 69.9% with sunitinib.
- Complete response (CR): The CR rate, also exploratory, for OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX was 9.3% compared to 4.3% with sunitinib.
- TRAE discontinuations: Among patients treated with OPDIVO and CABOMETYX, 6.6% discontinued both agents due to TRAEs, 9.7% discontinued OPDIVO only and 7.2% discontinued CABOMETYX only.
In an exploratory subgroup analysis of 75 patients with sarcomatoid features, the combination of OPDIVO and CABOMETYX showed benefit in this population typically associated with a poor prognosis, reducing the risk of death by 64% vs. sunitinib (HR 0.36; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.79) and demonstrating both superior PFS (10.3 months vs. 4.2 months) and ORR (55.9% vs. 22.0%).
Abstract #285: Patient-reported outcomes of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) treated with first-line nivolumab plus cabozantinib versus sunitinib: the CheckMate -9ER trial (Cella, et. al.)
In a separate analysis from the CheckMate -9ER trial conducted with 18.1 months of median follow-up, patients treated with the combination of OPDIVO and CABOMETYX reported statistically significant health-related quality of life benefits. Treatment with OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX was associated with a lower treatment burden, decreased risk of deterioration, and a reduction of disease-related symptoms compared to sunitinib. These exploratory outcomes were measured using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Kidney Symptom Index-19 (FKSI-19), a quality of life tool specific to kidney cancer, and EQ-5D-3L instruments.
“There is a continued need for new therapies that show benefit across subgroups of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma,” said Robert Motzer, M.D., Kidney Cancer Section Head, Genitourinary Oncology Service, and Jack and Dorothy Byrne Chair in Clinical Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “In CheckMate -9ER, nivolumab in combination with cabozantinib doubled progression-free survival, increased overall survival and response rate and, in an exploratory analysis, showed impressive disease control, and these promising efficacy results were sustained with extended follow-up. Also of note, patients in this study reported significant quality of life improvements, which are important for patients undergoing treatment for this challenging disease.”“These additional data from CheckMate -9ER provide strong evidence that OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX may help patients achieve and maintain control of their disease,” said Dana Walker, M.D., M.S.C.E., vice president, development program lead, genitourinary cancers, Bristol Myers Squibb. “This regimen brings together two proven agents in advanced renal cell carcinoma, and we believe it will play an important role alongside other first-line treatment options. We look forward to the potential to build on our heritage of transforming patient outcomes with OPDIVO-based combinations across a wide range of tumor types.”
“The overall survival benefit and quality-of-life measures reported in these findings continue to show improvement with the combination of CABOMETYX and OPDIVO after an extended follow-up of two years,” said Gisela Schwab, M.D., President, Product Development and Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, Exelixis. “These new findings from CheckMate -9ER and the recent FDA approval of the combination regimen are extremely encouraging as we further explore the potential of CABOMETYX in combination with immunotherapies to help more patients with difficult-to-treat tumor types.”
OPDIVO in combination with CABOMETYX was approved for the first-line treatment of advanced RCC by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2021, and further applications are under review with health authorities globally.
Bristol Myers Squibb and Exelixis thank the patients and investigators involved in the CheckMate -9ER clinical trial.
Source: Exelixis, Inc. 2021. OPDIVO® (nivolumab) in Combination with CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib) Shows Sustained Survival and Response Rate Benefits as First-Line Treatment for Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in the Phase 3 CheckMate -9ER Trial | Exelixis, Inc.