Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody for lung cancer. It is a Immune checkpoint inhibitor. it is available with the trade name of Opdivo. It mainly acts by inhibiting interaction between PD-L1 and PD-L2 ligands with PD-1 receptor.
Availability, dosage and administration
Nivolumab is available in injectable form.
Availability
It is available in injectable form, IV solution 40mg/4ml (10 mg/ml) and 100 mg/10ml (10mg/ml).
Dosage
The recommended dose of Nivolumab depends on the indication or its use. For Lung cancer, the recommended dose is 240 mg, IV given 2 weeks.
Uses:
- Unresectable or metastatic Malignant Melanoma.
- Metastatic squamous Non-small cell Lung cancer
- Renal cell cancer
- Urothelial carcinoma
- Recurrent Head and neck cancer
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
Side effects
The common side effects that are experienced on Nivolumab are:
- Colitis in the form of diarrhoea and abdominal pain
- Pneumonitis in the form of cough and difficulty in breathing
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dry mouth
- Bone and muscle pain
- Skin rash, redness, itching
- Hypothyroidism
Precautions
- Before starting Nivolumab treatment, inform your doctor about other medications that you might be taking
- Do not take any kind of vaccination or immunization without informing your doctor
- Inform your doctor if you are on Nivolumab treatment and if you are pregnant as nivolumab can be hazardous to the fetus
- Do not breast feed on Nivolumab
- Monitor thyroid function while on treatment
Read more on drugs used for treatment of lung cancer.