B-MS breaking new ground with China's first I-O therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) has announced that the Chinese National Drug Administration (CNDA) has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) for lung cancer patients, the first immuno-oncology (I-O) therapy ever to be approved in the country.

Opdivo, along with Merck & Co's (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda, has been one of the leaders of the first wave of the I-O revolution, and its fast-growing sales were nearly $5 billion in 2017.

"Lung cancer is a major public health issue in China, representing the highest incidence and mortality among all cancers in the country," said Yi-Long Wu, director of Guangdong hospital and chairman of the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group. "With most lung cancer patients already at an advanced stage when diagnosed, prolonging survival is an important goal.