nivolumab (Opdivo)

following a full submission assessed under the end of life and orphan equivalent medicine process:

nivolumab (Opdivo®) is accepted for use within NHSScotland.

Indication Under Review: in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with tumour cell programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression ≥1%.

Addition of nivolumab to fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy significantly increased overall and progression-free survival in patients receiving first-line treatment for advanced, recurrent or metastatic OSCC with PD-L1 expression ≥1%.

This advice applies only in the context of approved NHSScotland Patient Access Scheme (PAS) arrangements delivering the cost-effectiveness results upon which the decision was based, or PAS/ list prices that are equivalent or lower.

This advice takes account of the views from a Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) meeting