How are Opdivo and Yervoy administered?
Opdivo and Yervoy are administered by slow intravenous infusion over at least 30 minutes – this is when a bag containing the medicine is hung from a stand, and the medicine runs through a piece of tubing called an intravenous line into your vein. This needs to be done in your healthcare provider’s office, an infusion center, or a hospital.
Opdivo and Yervoy are often administered in combination for the first dose for conditions such as non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and advanced kidney cancer, but each infusion is administered separately, and each takes at least 30 minutes to administer. Opdivo and Yervoy are not mixed in the same bag.
Once your combination treatment with Opdivo and Yervoy has finished, your healthcare provider my decide to start you on Opdivo Qvantig for maintenance treatment. This is given as an injection under the skin over 3 to 5 minutes.
References
- Opdivo Prescribing Information https://packageinserts.bms.com/pi/pi_opdivo.pdf
- Your treatment plan at a glance. Opdivo.com https://www.opdivo.com/advanced-nsclc-combination/about-opdivo/getting-an-infusion
- Opdivo Qvantig Prescribing Information. https://packageinserts.bms.com/pi/pi_opdivo-qvantig.pdf
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