Immunotherapy treatment with long-term survival in some
previously treated patients now approved for use in newly diagnosed
patients
MONTREAL, Sept. 16, 2014 /CNW/ - Bristol-Myers Squibb
Canada is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved
Yervoy® (ipilimumab) as a first-line therapy in
adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, the most deadly
form of skin cancer. This means that Canadians with newly diagnosed
advanced melanoma, regardless of the subtype, will be eligible to
receive the novel immunotherapy as their initial treatment.
When Yervoy was first approved by Health Canada in 2012, for the
treatment of patients who had failed or did not tolerate other
systemic therapy for advanced disease, it was the first and only
treatment for advanced melanoma proven to extend survival in a
phase 3 trial.
"Yervoy was the first immunotherapy treatment for metastatic
melanoma introduced in Canada and
it has transformed the way this deadly disease is currently
managed. After decades with no new options, physicians suddenly not
only had options but we were seeing long-term survival in some
pretreated patients who were given Yervoy," said Dr. Michael Smylie, an oncologist specializing in
melanoma at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton. "Having Yervoy available now as an
initial treatment will allow us to offer this potential benefit
earlier in the disease course. This is good news for treating
physicians and excellent news for our newly diagnosed
patients."
Unlike traditional therapies that target the tumour directly,
immuno-oncology is an innovative field of cancer research and
treatment focused on harnessing the power of the body's immune
system to fight cancer. Such treatments target the very same
pathways tumour cells use to evade recognition and destruction.
Yervoy specifically blocks cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated
antigen-4 (CTLA-4), which plays a role in suppressing the normal
immune response. Yervoy blocks that suppression to allow the immune
system to respond to melanoma cancer cells.
"Nine years ago my doctor put me on Yervoy which was
experimental at the time. Having already been through a
number of unsuccessful treatments, I did not expect to celebrate
another birthday, Christmas or even experience another
summer. This treatment didn't just save my life, it gave me
my life back," said Kathy Barnard,
founder of the Save Your Skin Foundation, a group dedicated to
raising awareness about skin cancer, providing information about
treatment options and funding research. "It's hard enough to be
diagnosed with advanced melanoma and patients should have every
possible chance on their side. I'm so pleased for what this
approval means for newly diagnosed patients. This just gives
more hope to patients in a disease area that only a decade ago had
no hope at all."
Over 30,000 melanoma patients have been treated with Yervoy.
Yervoy has been recognized for its innovation by being awarded the
Prix Galien Canada 2013 Innovative Product Award and earlier this
year was named as one of Canada's top 10 new and emerging health
technologies by the Canadian Network for Environmental Scanning in
Health in its first "New and Emerging Health Technology Watch
List."
Yervoy is the first approved treatment from the Bristol-Myers
Squibb immuno-oncology pipeline. The company is committed to
leading advances in immuno-oncology and continues to research
Yervoy in multiple tumor types.
About melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin
cancer, accounting for 8% of cases of skin cancer in Canada but 70% of the deaths from the disease.
Melanoma accounts for about 3% of all new cancer cases, placing it
among the top 10 cancers diagnosed in Canada. An estimated 6,500 Canadians will be
diagnosed with melanoma this year and 1,050 will die from it. One
in 59 Canadian men and one in 73 Canadian women will develop
melanoma in their lifetime.
Melanoma is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of
pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) located in the skin.
Metastatic melanoma occurs when cancer spreads beyond the surface
of the skin to other organs, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, brain
or other areas of the body. Unresectable melanoma is a melanoma
that cannot be removed or resected by surgery. The survival rate
for melanoma is high if it is detected early but the advanced form,
metastatic melanoma, is an aggressive disease which, until
recently, was characterized by high mortality.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada
Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada is an indirect wholly-owned
subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, a global
biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and
deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over
serious diseases. For more information, please visit
www.bmscanada.ca.
YERVOY is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb
Company.
SOURCE Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada