By Colin Kellaher

Bristol Myers Squibb Co. on Tuesday said the European Commission approved its cancer drug Opdivo as a second-line treatment for certain forms of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, making it the first immunotherapy to be approved for a gastroesophageal cancer in the European Union.

The New York biopharmaceutical company said the approval covers Opdivo for the treatment of adults with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy.

Opdivo, which harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer, is currently approved in more than 65 countries across multiple cancers, the company said. In addition to the EU, the drug has been approved in five countries, including the U.S. and Japan, for the second-line treatment of patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 24, 2020 07:54 ET (12:54 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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