Nivolumab (Opdivo(®); Nivolumab BMS™) was the first programmed death (PD)-1 
immune checkpoint inhibitor to be approved for use in advanced, squamous 
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following prior chemotherapy. In the pivotal 
CheckMate 017 trial, intravenous nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks was associated 
with significantly better overall survival and progression-free survival and a 
significantly higher overall response rate than intravenous docetaxel in the 
second-line treatment of advanced, squamous NSCLC. Nivolumab was also better 
tolerated than docetaxel in CheckMate 017, and its adverse event profile (which 
included immune-mediated adverse events) was manageable. In conclusion, 
nivolumab represents an important advance in previously-treated, advanced, 
squamous NSCLC.