Opdivo (nivolumab) is BMS’s investigational PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, while Imbruvica (ibrutinib) is an oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor co-developed and co-marketed by Pharmacyclics and Janssen.
The trial will evaluate the safety and anti-tumour activity of the combination therapy as a potential treatment option for patients with NHL, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Opdivo is the name proposed by BMS, and if approved by health authorities it will serve as the trade name for nivolumab.
BMS senior vice president, head of development, oncology Michael Giordano said: "Our collaboration to study Opdivo in combination with Imbruvica is an innovative approach to accelerating Bristol-Myers Squibb’s progress in the study of immuno-oncology and hematologic malignancies, gaining further insight into promising areas of drug development and research."
Opdivo is part of a new class of cancer treatments known as immunotherapies that are designed to harness the body’s own immune system in fighting cancer.
Under the collaboration agreement, Janssen will be responsible for conducting the Phase I/II trial.