Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche link to test Yervoy and vemurafenib for melanoma

US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) has joined forces with Swiss major Roche (SIX: ROG) to evaluate the utility of the former’s recently US approved CTLA-4 inhibitor, Yervoy (ipilimumab), in combination with Roche’s investigational oral BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib, in treating patients with a specific type of metastatic melanoma.

The two compounds are effectively competitors, and Roche has just filed for approval of vemurafenib with US and European regulators for the treatment of metastatic melanoma (The Pharma Letter May 12). Peak sales of $1.1 billion have been forecast for the Roche product and $2 billion for Yervoy.

Under the agreement, the two companies will conduct a Phase I/II study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination. If appropriate, the companies may conduct further development of the combination. This agreement represents an important cross-company collaboration exploring the potential role of this regimen in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, they say.