Bristol Myers Squibb announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) as a first-line treatment of adult and pediatric patients (12 years and older) with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC).

Opdivo plus Yervoy met the dual primary endpoints of progression free survival (PFS) when compared to Opdivo monotherapy across all lines of therapy and when compared to chemotherapy in the first-line setting, as assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR).1 This approval, granted more than two months ahead of the June 23, 2025 Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date, follows the FDA’s prior decision to grant the application Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Priority Review status.

“There is an unmet need for additional treatment options such as a dual immunotherapy approach for patients with previously untreated MSI-H/dMMR unresectable or metastatic CRC, which is an aggressive form of cancer and can be particularly difficult to treat,” said Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, CheckMate-8HW investigator and Deputy Director for Research Programs and Head of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The meaningful outcomes in CheckMate-8HW underscore how initiating treatment with the dual immunotherapy combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab may result in a notable survival benefit. This approval has the potential to redefine traditional approaches of care for patients with this form of CRC.”

The regimen of Opdivo plus Yervoy represents the first-ever dual immune checkpoint inhibitor combination to demonstrate significant efficacy benefit compared to Opdivo monotherapy and chemotherapy in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients.

“Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related death for men and women combined in the U.S., and concerning trends show that incidence is increasing in people younger than 50,” said Nicole Sheahan, President of the Global Colon Cancer Association.

Opdivo as a single agent, or in combination with Yervoy, was previously granted accelerated approval in MSI-H/dMMR CRC adult and pediatric patients (12 years and older) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. Today’s FDA decision converts this second-line indication to full approval for Opdivo monotherapy and expands the indication for Opdivo plus Yervoy into the first-line setting based on the CheckMate-8HW trial.