Dr. Tawbi on the Efficacy of Relatlimab/Nivolumab in Advanced Melanoma

Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, the deputy chair of the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine; the director of Melanoma Clinical Research and Early Drug Development, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine; the director of Personalized Cancer Therapy, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine; and a professor in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the efficacy of relatlimab plus nivolumab (Opdivo; Opdualag) in patients with advanced melanoma.

The phase 3 RELATIVITY-047 trial (NCT03470922), which was presented during the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting and examined the combination vs nivolumab alone in the first line setting, was conducted globally, Tawbi says. In total, 714 patients were accrued for the trial, across several continents and countries, Tawbi notes.

Investigators were pleased to see that the primary analysis of RELATIVITY-047 yielded positive data and met its primary end point of improved progression-free survival, Tawbi explains. Interestingly, relatlimab plus nivolumab was administered as a fixed dose and a single infusion on this trial, Tawbi concludes.