Immunotherapy With Nivolumab or Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab vs. Double Placebo for Stage IV Melanoma w. NED

This study will allow for direct comparison of the clinical benefit provided by Nivolumab monotherapy or Nivolumab combined with Ipilimumab versus double placebo control. Furthermore, it will also allow for direct comparison of the respective safety profiles of Nivolumab monotherapy or Nivolumab combined with Ipilimumab. Nivolumab monotherapy was chosen as one of the experimental arms because of a favourable risk-benefit ratio assessed in the large Phase 1 study (MDX1106-03/CA209-003). The combination of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab was chosen as an experimental arm because of the preliminary evidence from the Phase 1 study CA209-004 suggesting synergy between Nivolumab and Ipilimumab resulting in a higher frequency of patients with increased tumour burden reduction. Evaluating both Nivolumab monotherapy and the combination of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab will provide clinical data allowing clinicians to select the appropriate treatment for each patient based on their individual risk-benefit ratio.