CheckMate 743
CheckMate 743 was the first immunotherapy trial to lengthen survival in mesothelioma, and gave the first new first-line option in 16 years.
OS 18.1 vs 14.1 months (HR 0.74); 3-year OS 23% vs 15%; 5-year OS 14% vs 6% (JCO 2025). Benefit largest in non-epithelioid histology (OS 18.1 vs 8.8 months), where chemotherapy performs poorly. FDA approval October 2020. Grade 3-4 treatment-related events 30%.
Setting
Unresectable pleural mesothelioma, first line: nivolumab + ipilimumab vs platinum-pemetrexed
Phase
Phase 3
Sponsor
BMS
Registry
Headline result
OS 18.1 vs 14.1 months, HR 0.74; 5-year OS 14% vs 6%.
Reported
2020
Enrolled
605
Replication
Single phase 3; consistent direction in the phase 2 MAPS2 and INITIATE studies of second-line nivolumab-ipilimumab.
In plain words
What these results mean for people, not percentages
Overall survivalprimarysurvival endpoint
- Median 18.1 vs 14.1 months with Nivolumab + ipilimumab compared with Platinum + pemetrexed; about 4 months longer for half the group.
- A median is a midpoint: half the people did better than this and half did worse, so it is not a prediction for any one person.
- Put another way, the treated group had about 26 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.74, likely range 0.6 to 0.91).
5-year overall survival ratesurvival endpoint
- 14 vs 6 out of 100 alive at 5 years with Nivolumab + ipilimumab compared with Platinum + pemetrexed; 8 more per 100.
- Roughly one extra person helped for every 13 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
- Put another way, the treated group had about 26 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.74, likely range 0.62 to 0.88).
Be careful
- Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
- These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: Unresectable pleural mesothelioma, first line: nivolumab + ipilimumab vs platinum-pemetrexed. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
605 participants enrolled.
Overall survivalprimary
HR 0.74 (0.6–0.91) · p = 0.002
Nivolumab + ipilimumab
18.1 mo
Platinum + pemetrexed
14.1 mo
5-year overall survival rate
HR 0.74 (0.62–0.88)
Nivolumab + ipilimumab14 of 100
Platinum + pemetrexed6 of 100
| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall survivalprimary | Nivolumab + ipilimumab | 303 | 18.1 months | 0.74 (0.6–0.91) | 0.002 | link |
| Platinum + pemetrexed | 302 | 14.1 months | ||||
| 5-year overall survival rate | Nivolumab + ipilimumab | — | 14% | 0.74 (0.62–0.88) | — | link |
| Platinum + pemetrexed | — | 6% |
Replication
Single phase 3; consistent direction in the phase 2 MAPS2 and INITIATE studies of second-line nivolumab-ipilimumab.