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Bristol-Myers Squibb claims 'breakthrough' lung-cancer treatment


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Pharmaceutical firm Bristol-Myers Squibb is claiming a "breakthrough" in lung-cancer research with a potential alternative treatment to chemotherapy.

The company on Monday reported encouraging results in lung-cancer patients treated with its anti-tumor drug Opdivo in combination with its melanoma drug Yervoy.

The combination treatment delivered significantly better results than chemotherapy for people with "first-line advanced non-small cell lung cancer," known as NSCLC, the company said.

The clinical trial is in its third and final phase before the company could seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market the drug combination for treatment of this specific condition.

Bristol-Myers Squibb said a panel set up to assess performance data recommended that the clinical trial continue.

"We believe these data ... are a breakthrough in cancer research and a meaningful step forward in determining which first-line lung cancer patients may benefit most from the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy," Bristol-Myers Squibb CEO Giovanni Caforio said in a statement.

"These findings attest to our deep understanding of cancer biology, leading translational medicine capabilities and commitment to developing new approaches for cancer patients.”

The potential advancement bodes well for personalized immunotherapy, which tailors treatments for individual patients based on their biological profile.

"This is a true example of the innovation that is core to our strategy, and we would like to thank the patients and researchers who participated in these clinical trials — without whom this scientific advance would not be realized," Bristol-Myers Squibbs said in a statement.

Opdivo is already the company's best-selling drug in the world with sales of $4.95 billion in 2017.

Bristol-Myers Squibb paired the clinical trial progress update with its fourth-quarter earnings report. Revenue rose 4% to $5.45 billion.

The company swung from a net profit of $898 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 to a net loss of $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, due largely to a one-time charge of $2.9 billion connected with President Trump's tax law changes.

Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.