Nivolumab Receives Extended Approval for Advanced Lung Cancer

The PD-1 inhibitor antibody was approved by the FDA for use in patients who have progressed on platinum-based treatment.

Patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed on platinum-based chemotherapy now have the option of treatment with nivolumab (Opdivo).

Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, “There is still a lot to learn about the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and its effects in lung cancer, as well as other tumor types. While Opdivo showed an overall survival benefit in certain non-small cell lung cancer patients, it appears that higher expression of PD-L1 in a patient’s tumor predicts those most likely to benefit.”

Read the FDA press release here.