The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) for adult and pediatric patients who are 12 years and older and have previously untreated stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
Nivolumab has also been approved by the FDA in adults with relapsed or refractory cHL after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and brentuximab vedotin and after three or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT, according to a press release from the regulatory agency.
In its press release, the FDA provided recommended dosing guidelines for the combination therapy: nivolumab 240 mg (for adults and pediatric patients weighing ≥40 kg) or 3 mg/kg (for pediatric patients weighing <40 kg), administered intravenously in combination with AVD on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle for up to six cycles.
