CANADA’S HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AGENCY GIVES POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR OPDIVO™ TO TREAT NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Canada’s national health technology assessment body (CADTH) today made its final, positive recommendation for OPDIVO™(nivolumab) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a reflection of the strong clinical evidence that supports the benefits of this immuno-oncology treatment of adult patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC who progressed on or after chemotherapy.[1]

The CADTH evaluation of the clinical, economic, and patient evidence of OPDIVO™ for the treatment of NSCLC was made under the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) process.

“We are so pleased to have a positive recommendation from this expert committee,” said Alain Boisvert, Vice-President, Market Access & Public Affairs, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada. “Our aim is to provide accessible solutions that help Canadian patients face serious diseases. To receive a positive recommendation from one of the world’s leading drug assessment organizations validates the strength of the clinical evidence demonstrating the value of OPDIVO™ for offering more hope to lung cancer patients.”

“Ongoing efforts to provide patients with more treatments is critical, “said Shem Singh, Executive Director of Lung Cancer Canada. “The announcement represents an important milestone and we encourage the provinces to provide much-needed access to this therapy for lung cancer patients who desperately need more options. Patients deserve the chance to live longer and spend precious quality time with their friends and families.”

Based on the positive recommendation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada will continue to collaborate with federal, provincial and territorial authorities to ensure Canadian adults have access to OPDIVO™ for the treatment of advanced or metastatic NSCLC as quickly as possible.

In just over eight months, OPDIVO™ has received Health Canada approval as a treatment for three distinct tumour types, including metastatic NSCLC, metastatic melanoma and advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The OPDIVO™ Health Canada submissions received priority reviews after meeting the criteria of substantial evidence of clinical effectiveness providing an improved benefit/risk profile over existing therapies. The phase 3 studies for the three tumour types were stopped early by an independent data monitoring committee for demonstrating superior overall survival in patients receiving OPDIVO™ versus standard of care.

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 about Bristol-Myers Squibb’s global operations, visit www.bms.com. Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada has been delivering innovative medicines for serious diseases to Canadian patients in the areas of cardiovascular health, oncology, neuroscience, immunoscience and virology for over 80 years. Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada employs over 300 people across the country. For more information, please visit www.bmscanada.ca.