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Is Opdivo a chemotherapy or immunotherapy drug?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 13, 2024.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Opdivo is an immunotherapy treatment. It belongs to the class of medicines known as checkpoint inhibitors and works by blocking the PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) pathway to help prevent cancer cells from hiding from the immune system, boosting the immune system's response against cancer.

References
  • Opdivo (nivolumab) Product Label. Updated 03/2024. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2024/125554s128lbl.pdf

Read next

Opdivo (nivolumab) is an immunotherapy used to treat a wide variety of cancer types. How long treatment with this monoclonal antibody prolongs or extends life depends on the type and stage of cancer it is used to treat and other factors. Continue reading

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are man-made proteins that mimic the natural antibodies produced by our immune systems. Monoclonal antibodies can be formulated into medicines to treat various types of illnesses, such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis. Continue reading

Results from clinical trial indicate that it can take about 2 months to see a response to treatment with Opdivo, but some patients will respond more quickly and others will take longer.

Your doctor will order periodic tests, such as CT (computed tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to see if you are responding to treatment. Continue reading

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