Key Highlights:
- Bristol Myers Squibb launched Relopduo, a fixed-dose combination of nivolumab and relatlimab, in India for adults and paediatric patients (≥12 years) with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The IV therapy targets PD-1 and LAG-3 immune checkpoints and is administered every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
- The approval is backed by the Phase 2/3 RELATIVITY-047 trial, where Relopduo nearly doubled median progression-free survival to 10.1 months versus 4.6 months with nivolumab alone. It is the first LAG-3/PD-1 immunotherapy combination approved for this indication in India.
- Relopduo is priced at an MRP of ₹2.9 lakh per vial, with a patient access programme available for eligible patients. Marketed as Opdualag in the US, it generated over $1.18B in 2025 sales. The launch follows nivolumab’s patent expiry in India and gives BMS a first-mover advantage in the LAG-3 inhibitor market.
Implications:
Relopduo gives BMS a next‑generation immunotherapy in India’s melanoma market, combining PD‑1 and LAG‑3 blockade to offer materially better progression‑free outcomes than nivolumab alone, but at a high price point that will make access programmes and centre-level funding decisions critical for uptake.
Source: ET Pharma
