Ipilimumab/nivolumab
Both nivolumab (Opdivo®) and ipilimumab (Yervoy®) are approved as monotherapies for the treatment of many types of cancers.
They are also approved for use together as combination therapy for the treatment of:
- intermediate or poor risk advanced renal cell carcinoma
- metastatic non-small cell lung cancer
- metastatic or unresectable melanoma
- unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
- unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma
- hepatocellular carcinoma that was previously treated with sorafenib
- microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer
Nivolumab and ipilimumab each improve anticancer responses and patient survival by inhibiting molecules known as checkpoints to enhance the patient’s immune response. Nivolumab inhibits the checkpoint known as programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), and ipilimumab inhibits the checkpoint cytotoxic T-lymphocyte- associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Antitumor activity is improved with nivolumab/ipilimumab combination therapy compared with either monotherapy, but the risk and severity of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is also heightened.
Nivolumab is now available as a subcutaneous injection, nivolumab and hyaluronidase-nvhy (OPDIVO QVANTIG), in addition to the intravenous formulation. The subcutaneous injection is approved for adult solid tumor indications as monotherapy, monotherapy maintenance following completion of nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy, or in combination with chemotherapy or cabozantinib. OPDIVO QVANTIG is not indicated in combination with ipilimumab.
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