Screen for hepatitis B virus in all cancer patients starting systemic treatment. Find out more about hepatitis B virus screening and management.

Drug Formulary

About the Drug Formulary Email Drug Formulary Team

nivolumab / relatlimab

( nye-VOL-ue-mab / rel-AT-li-mab )

Other Name(s): Opdualag™

Appearance: liquid mixed into larger bags of fluids

relatlimab patient.pdf

relatlimab pour le patient.pdf

nivolumab / relatlimab

Pronunciation:

nye-VOL-ue-mab / rel-AT-li-mab

Other Name(s):

Opdualag™

Appearance:

liquid mixed into larger bags of fluids

This handout gives general information about this cancer medication.

You will learn:

who to contact for help
what the medication is
how it is given
what to expect while on medication

This handout was created by Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) together with patients and their caregivers who have also gone through cancer treatment. It is meant to help support you through your cancer treatment and answer some of your questions.

This information does not replace the advice of your health care team. Always talk to your health care team about your treatment.

Who do I contact if I have questions or need help?

My cancer health care provider is: _____________________________________________

During the day I should contact: _______________________________________________

Evenings, weekends and holidays: _____________________________________________

This page gives general information about this cancer medication.

You will learn:

who to contact for help
what the medication is
how it is given
what to expect while on this medication

This information was created by Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) together with patients and their caregivers who have also gone through cancer treatment. It is meant to help support you through your cancer treatment and answer some of your questions.

This information does not replace the advice of your health care team. Always talk to your health care team about your treatment.

What is this treatment for?

Nivolumab / relatlimab is used to treat a certain type of skin cancer called melanoma.

Nivolumab / relatlimab is an immunotherapy drug. For more information on immunotherapy, click here.

What should I do before I start this treatment?

Tell your health care team if you have or had significant medical condition(s), especially if you have / had:

immune conditions (such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus),
problems with your hormone producing glands (such as thyroid, pituitary or adrenal glands),
diabetes,
liver, kidney or lung problems,
active infections,
an organ or stem cell transplant, or
any allergies.

Remember To:

Tell your health care team about all of the other medications you are taking, especially if you are taking medications called corticosteroids (such as prednisone).
Keep taking other medications that have been prescribed for you, unless you have been told not to by your health care team.

You will have a blood test to check for hepatitis B before starting treatment. See the Hepatitis B and Cancer Medications pamphlet for more information.

How is this treatment given?

This medication is given through an IV (injected into a vein). Talk to your health care team about your treatment schedule.

If you missed your treatment appointment, talk to your health care team to find out what to do.

DO this while on treatment

DO check with your health care team before getting any vaccinations, surgery, dental work or other medical procedures.

DO tell your health care team about any serious infections that you have now or have had in the past.

DO NOT do this while on treatment

Stop Icon

DO NOT use tobacco products (such as smoking cigarettes or vaping) or drink alcohol while on treatment without talking to your health care team first. Smoking and drinking can make side effects worse and make your treatment not work as well.

DO NOT take any other medications, such as vitamins, over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs, or natural health products without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT start any complementary or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or homeopathic medications, without checking with your health care team.

DO this while on treatment

Check Mark Icon

DO check with your health care team before getting any vaccinations, surgery, dental work or other medical procedures.

DO tell your health care team about any serious infections that you have now or have had in the past.

DO NOT do this while on treatment

Stop Icon

DO NOT use tobacco products (such as smoking cigarettes or vaping) or drink alcohol while on treatment without talking to your health care team first. Smoking and drinking can make side effects worse and make your treatment not work as well.

DO NOT take any other medications, such as vitamins, over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs, or natural health products without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT start any complementary or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or homeopathic medications, without checking with your health care team.

Will this treatment interact with other medications or natural health products?

Although this medication is unlikely to interact with other medications, vitamins, foods and natural health products, tell your health care team about all of your:

prescription and over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications and all other drugs, such as cannabis/marijuana (medical or recreational)
natural health products such as vitamins, herbal teas, homeopathic medicines, and other supplements

Check with your health care team before starting or stopping any of them.

What to do if you feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever

Always check your temperature to see if you have a fever before taking any medications for fever or pain (such as acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) or ibuprofen (Advil^®)).
- Fever can be a sign of infection that may need treatment right away.
- If you take these medications before you check for fever, they may lower your temperature and you may not know you have an infection.

How to check for fever:

Keep a digital (electronic) thermometer at home and take your temperature if you feel hot or unwell (for example, chills, headache, mild pain).

You have a fever if your temperature taken in your mouth (oral temperature) is:
- 38.3°C (100.9°F) or higher at any time
OR
- 38.0°C (100.4°F) or higher for at least one hour.

If you do have a fever :

Try to contact your health care team. If you are not able to talk to them for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.
Ask your health care team for the Fever pamphlet for more information.

If you do not have a fever but have mild symptoms such as headache or mild pain:

Ask your health care team about the right medication for you. Acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) is a safe choice for most people.

Talk to your health care team before you start taking ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®), naproxen (Aleve^®) or ASA (Aspirin^®), as they may increase your chance of bleeding or interact with your cancer treatment.

Talk to your health care team if you already take low dose aspirin for a medical condition (such as a heart problem). It may still be safe to take.

How will this treatment affect sex, pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Talk to your health care team about:

How this treatment may affect your sexual health
How this treatment may affect your ability to have a baby, if this applies to you

|This treatment may harm an unborn baby. Tell your health care team if you or your partner are pregnant, become pregnant during treatment, or are breastfeeding.

If there is any chance of pregnancy happening, you and your partner together must use 2 effective forms of birth control at the same time until at least 5 months after your last treatment dose. Talk to your health care team about which birth control options are best for you.

Do not breastfeed while on this treatment and for 5 months after your last dose.

What are the side effects of this treatment?

Nivolumab / relatlimab makes your immune system work harder. Your immune system is what fights infections and your cancer.

When your immune system is working harder, you may have side effects in your bowels, liver, lungs, skin, kidneys, hormones and other organs.

These side effects may be mild or may become serious or life-threatening in rare cases.

They may happen during your treatment or weeks to months after your treatment ends.

Some things to watch for are:

diarrhea
a new cough
problems with breathing
rash
any other new symptom

If you have side effects, you must talk to your health care team right away. You may need urgent treatment.

The following table lists side effects that you may have when getting nivolumab / relatlimab treatment. The table is set up to list the most common side effects first and the least common last. It is unlikely that you will have all of the side effects listed and you may have some that are not listed.

Read over the side effect table so that you know what to look for and when to get help. Refer to this table if you experience any side effects while on nivolumab / relatlimab treatment.

Common Side Effects (25 to 49 out of 100 people)
Fatigue What to look for? Feeling of tiredness or low energy that lasts a long time and does not go away with rest or sleep. What to do? Be active. Aim to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise (you are able to talk comfortably while exercising) on most days. Check with your health care team before starting any new exercise. Pace yourself, do not rush. Put off less important activities. Rest when you need to. Ask family or friends to help you with things like housework, shopping, and child or pet care. Eat well and drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water or other liquids every day (unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less). Avoid driving or using machinery if you are feeling tired. Ask your health care team for the Fatigue pamphlet for more information.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Headache; Mild joint, muscle pain or cramps What to look for? A mild headache New pain in your muscles or joints, muscle cramps, or feeling achy. What to do? Take pain medication (acetaminophen or opioids such as codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone) as prescribed. Read the above section: "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?" before taking acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®) or Aspirin. These medications may hide an infection that needs treatment or they may increase your risk of bleeding. Rest often and try light exercise (such as walking) as it may help. Ask your health care team for the Pain pamphlet for more information.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Rash; dry, itchy skin What to look for? Your skin may look red and feel warm, like a sunburn. Your skin may have bumps, itch, burn, sting or feel very tender when touched. What to do? To prevent and treat dry skin: Use fragrance-free skin moisturizer. Protect your skin from the sun and the cold. Use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection and a SPF of at least 30. Avoid perfumed products and lotions that contain alcohol. Drink 6 to 8 cups of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less. In rare cases, rash may be severe if: The rash covers more than a third of your skin (for example your whole trunk, or an arm AND a leg) or The rash causes your skin to blister or peel. If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.	Talk to your health care team for advice. Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away.
Diarrhea What to look for? Loose, watery, unformed stool (poo) that may happen days to weeks after you get your treatment. What to do? If you have diarrhea: Take anti-diarrhea medication if your health care team prescribed it or told you to take it. Do not eat foods or drinks with artificial sweetener (like chewing gum or ‘diet’ drinks), coffee and alcohol, until your diarrhea has stopped. Eat many small meals and snacks instead of 2 or 3 large meals. Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less. Talk to your health care team if you can’t drink 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day when you have diarrhea. You may need to drink special liquids with salt and sugar, called Oral Rehydration Therapy. Ask your health care team for the Diarrhea pamphlet for more information. In rare cases, your diarrhea may be severe due to inflammation of the intestines if: You have blood in your stool (poo) or You have more than 4 bowel movements (going poo) a day (if that is not normal for you) If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.	Talk to your health care team for advice. Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away

Common Side Effects (25 to 49 out of 100 people)

Side effects and what to do

When to contact health care team

Fatigue

What to look for?

Feeling of tiredness or low energy that lasts a long time and does not go away with rest or sleep.

What to do?

Be active. Aim to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise (you are able to talk comfortably while exercising) on most days.
Check with your health care team before starting any new exercise.
Pace yourself, do not rush. Put off less important activities. Rest when you need to.
Ask family or friends to help you with things like housework, shopping, and child or pet care.
Eat well and drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water or other liquids every day (unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less).
Avoid driving or using machinery if you are feeling tired.

Ask your health care team for the Fatigue pamphlet for more information.

Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.

Headache; Mild joint, muscle pain or cramps

What to look for?

A mild headache
New pain in your muscles or joints, muscle cramps, or feeling achy.

What to do?

Take pain medication (acetaminophen or opioids such as codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone) as prescribed.
Read the above section: "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?" before taking acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®) or Aspirin. These medications may hide an infection that needs treatment or they may increase your risk of bleeding.
Rest often and try light exercise (such as walking) as it may help.

Ask your health care team for the Pain pamphlet for more information.

Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.

Rash; dry, itchy skin

What to look for?

Your skin may look red and feel warm, like a sunburn.
Your skin may have bumps, itch, burn, sting or feel very tender when touched.

What to do?

To prevent and treat dry skin:

Use fragrance-free skin moisturizer.
Protect your skin from the sun and the cold.
Use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection and a SPF of at least 30.
Avoid perfumed products and lotions that contain alcohol.
Drink 6 to 8 cups of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less.

In rare cases, rash may be severe if:

The rash covers more than a third of your skin (for example your whole trunk, or an arm AND a leg) or
The rash causes your skin to blister or peel.

If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.

Talk to your health care team for advice.

Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away.

Diarrhea

What to look for?

Loose, watery, unformed stool (poo) that may happen days to weeks after you get your treatment.

What to do?

If you have diarrhea:

Take anti-diarrhea medication if your health care team prescribed it or told you to take it.
Do not eat foods or drinks with artificial sweetener (like chewing gum or ‘diet’ drinks), coffee and alcohol, until your diarrhea has stopped.
Eat many small meals and snacks instead of 2 or 3 large meals.
Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less.
Talk to your health care team if you can’t drink 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day when you have diarrhea. You may need to drink special liquids with salt and sugar, called Oral Rehydration Therapy.

Ask your health care team for the Diarrhea pamphlet for more information.

In rare cases, your diarrhea may be severe due to inflammation of the intestines if:

You have blood in your stool (poo) or
You have more than 4 bowel movements (going poo) a day (if that is not normal for you)

If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.

Talk to your health care team for advice.

Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away

Less Common Side Effects (10 to 24 out of 100 people)
Side effects and what to do	When to contact health care team
Nausea and vomiting (Generally mild) What to look for? Nausea is feeling like you need to throw up. You may also feel light-headed. You may feel nausea within hours to days after your treatment. What to do? To help prevent nausea: It is easier to prevent nausea than to treat it once it happens. If you were given anti-nausea medication(s), take them as prescribed, even if you do not feel like throwing up. Drink clear liquids and have small meals. Get fresh air and rest. Do not eat spicy, fried foods or foods with a strong smell. Limit caffeine (like coffee, tea) and avoid alcohol. If you have nausea or vomiting: Take your rescue (as-needed) anti-nausea medication(s) as prescribed. Ask your health care team for the Nausea & Vomiting pamphlet for more information. Talk to your health care team if: nausea lasts more than 48 hours vomiting lasts more than 24 hours or if it is severe	Contact your healthcare team if nausea lasts more than 48 hours or vomiting lasts more than 24 hours.
Low appetite What to look for? Loss of interest in food or not feeling hungry. Weight loss. What to do? Try to eat your favourite foods. Eat small meals throughout the day. You may need to take meal supplements to help keep your weight up. Talk to your health care team if you have no appetite. Ask your health care team for the Loss of Appetite pamphlet for more information.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Cough and feeling short of breath What to look for? You may have a cough and feel short of breath. Symptoms that commonly occur with a cough are: wheezing or a whistling breathing runny nose sore throat heartburn weight loss fever and chills Rarely this may be severe with chest pain, trouble breathing or coughing up blood. What to do? Check your temperature to see if you have a fever. Read the above section "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?". If you have a fever, try to talk to your health care team. If you are not able to talk to them for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away. If you have a severe cough with chest pain, trouble breathing or you are coughing up blood, get medical help right away.	Talk to your health care team. If you are not able to talk to your health care team for advice, and you have a fever or severe symptoms, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.
Changes in thyroid activity Thyroid changes may happen weeks to months after you receive your treatment. Your health care team may check your thyroid activity regularly with a blood test. What to look for? Underactive thyroid: Unusual weight gain A lack of energy or feeling tired Getting cold easily Dry skin, nails or hair that breaks easily Constipation (having bowel movements (poo) less often than normal) Overactive thyroid (rare): Unusual weight loss Feeling anxious, irritable or having trouble sleeping Sweating a lot and having trouble dealing with hot weather Increased appetite Having bowel movements (poo) more than usual Weakness (especially in the arms and thighs) Fast or uneven heartbeats. What to do? Your health care team may give you prescription medication to treat your underactive/overactive thyroid. If you have weight changes along with any of the other symptoms listed, talk to your health care team as soon as possible.	Contact your health care team as soon as possible (office hours).
Changes in skin colour What to look for? Lightening in the colour of your skin. This may occur in patches (also known as vitiligo). What to do? Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if severe.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Constipation What to look for? Having bowel movements (going poo) less often than normal. Small hard stools (poo) that look like pellets. The need to push hard and strain to have any stool (poo) come out. Stomach ache or cramps. A bloated belly, feeling of fullness, or discomfort. Leaking of watery stools (poo). Lots of gas or burping. Nausea or vomiting. What to do? To help prevent constipation: Try to eat more fiber rich foods like fruits with skin, leafy greens and whole grains. Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less. Be Active. Exercise can help to keep you regular. If you take opioid pain medication, ask your health care team if eating more fibre is right for you. To help treat constipation: If you have not had a bowel movement in 2 to 3 days you may need to take a laxative (medication to help you poo) to help you have regular bowel movements. Ask your health care team what to do. Ask your health care team for the Constipation Pamphlet for more information.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Infection What to look for? If you feel hot or unwell (for example if you have chills or a new cough), you must check your temperature to see if you have a fever. Do not take medications that treat a fever before you take your temperature (for example, Tylenol®, acetaminophen, Advil® or ibuprofen). Do not eat or drink anything hot or cold right before taking your temperature. You have a fever if your temperature taken in your mouth (oral temperature) is: 38.3°C (100.9°F) or higher at any time OR 38.0°C (100.4°F) or higher for at least one hour. What to do? Wash your hands often to prevent infection. Check with your doctor before getting any vaccines, surgeries, medical procedures or visiting your dentist. Keep a digital thermometer at home so you can easily check for a fever. If you have a fever: If you have a fever, try to contact your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away.	If you have a fever, try to contact your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.

Other rare, but serious side effects are possible with this treatment.

If you have any of the following, talk to your cancer health care team or get emergency medical help right away:

Peeing more than normal and feeling very thirsty
Signs of an allergy such as severe rash, swollen lips, face or tongue, chest and throat tightness, during or shortly after the drug is given

For more information on how to manage your symptoms ask your health care provider, or visit: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/symptoms.

Notes

November 2024 New information sheet

The information set out in the medication information sheets, regimen information sheets, and symptom management information (for patients) contained in the Drug Formulary (the "Formulary") is intended to be used by health professionals and patients for informational purposes only. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or side effects of a certain drug, nor should it be used to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for a given condition.

A patient should always consult a healthcare provider if he/she has any questions regarding the information set out in the Formulary. The information in the Formulary is not intended to act as or replace medical advice and should not be relied upon in any such regard. All uses of the Formulary are subject to clinical judgment and actual prescribing patterns may not follow the information provided in the Formulary.

nivolumab / relatlimab

Funding & Reimbursement

Symptom Management

Drug Safety and Administration