Opdivo Clinical Trials in a Nutshell

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Opdivo Clinical Trials Could Save Lives—Find Them With DoNotPay

Opdivo (brand name for nivolumab) is a prescription drug used as therapy for different kinds of cancer. The first clinical trials involving Opdivo started in 2012, and it was approved in the United States in 2014. Opdivo is on the List of Essential Medicines, created by the World Health Organization (WHO), and it’s currently used for treating:

  • Melanoma
  • Advanced lung cancer
  • Renal cell carcinoma
  • Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Head and neck squamous cell cancer
  • Advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Advanced liver cancer
  • Advanced bladder cancer

How To Find Nivolumab Clinical Trials With DoNotPay

Typing “clinical trials near me” in the search bar on Google is usually the first step that people who want to find ongoing clinical trials take. While you can find many opportunities to participate in clinical studies this way, the results will be far from optimal. You will have to open many websites with the same trials or fine-tune your research several times to find the right trial for you.

With DoNotPay, the search for the best clinical trials is fast and highly efficient, whether you’re looking for paid trials for healthy volunteers or patients with pre-existing conditions. Our massive database includes clinical trials, university psychology studies, and even medical surveys that can be answered from the comfort of your home.

You can start by creating your DoNotPay account in any . When you log in, follow these simple instructions:

  1. Select Clinical Trials
  2. Hit Get Started
  3. Set up the search filters to locate medical trials relevant to your needs
  4. Pick the study you’re interested in
  5. Click on Contact

DoNotPay will inform the research staff of that particular study about your interest in participation. If you match their criteria, someone will reach out to you shortly to discuss the next steps in the process.

Our search platform allows you to contact all the studies you find interesting and even bookmark those that haven’t started recruiting yet or that you plan to contact later. DoNotPay is the only search tool displaying clinical trials based on estimated compensation, distance, date, and time, or some other personal preference.

The highly customizable search filters and the constantly updated database guarantee that everyone can find a trial or study for them. If you live in more secluded areas, you can opt for text message notifications whenever a new study pops up in your vicinity. With this feature, you don’t have to look for clinical trialsthey will find you.

Phases of Opdivo Clinical Trials

Clinical trials, by definition, represent the last stage of new treatment research before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants their approval. Preclinical research in laboratories and animal testing can give good predictions about the safety and effectiveness of new drugs or combinations of existing therapies, but only the tests on willing human subjects, distributed across four different phases, provide conclusive results.

Since each phase of clinical trials carries different risk levels and participation criteria, make sure to get acquainted with the specifics before you sign up:

Phase

Purpose

Test Group Size

I

  • Focusing on finding a safe dose of the new drug
  • Determining the best administration method (oral, injection, etc.)
  • Monitoring general effects of the treatment on the human body and cancer cells

15-30

II

  • Establishing whether the new drug affects specific cancers
  • Further monitoring of how larger test groups are affected by the drug

Less than 100

III

  • Checking how the new treatment stacks up against existing options

100-several thousand

When Phase III is over, the researchers submit the results to the FDA for approval. If the FDA gives the green light, the new treatment becomes available to the general public, but the research doesn’t stop.

The treatment might have been deemed safe, but the researchers will continue monitoring how different population groups react to it and whether there are some unknown or undesirable long-term effects. This stage is known as Phase IV.

Opdivo Clinical Trial Results

Nivolumab cancer clinical trials have proven successful on numerous occasions. In a trial focused on advanced squamous non-small-cell lung carcinoma, where 135 people received Opdivo and 137 were given chemotherapy (docetaxel), 20% of patients on Opdivo experienced partial or complete tumor shrinking, compared to 9% of those on chemotherapy.

The clinical trial researching the effect of Opdivo on advanced bladder cancer saw 19.6% of study subjects experience tumor disappearance or shrinkage. In October 2020, the FDA approved nivolumab (in combination with ipilimumab or Yervoy) as the first new treatment for inoperable malignant pleural mesothelioma in the last sixteen years.

Eligibility Criteria for Nivolumab Clinical Trials

Opdivo clinical trials give hope to many patients who suffer from advanced cancers. Most studies need individuals with strictly defined pre-existing conditions. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for clinical trials can be based on:

  • Type of cancer
  • Stage
  • Previous therapy
  • Activity levels (performance status)
  • Additional medical conditions
  • Results of required lab tests
  • Sex
  • Age

Participation in clinical trials involving Opdivo is not recommended to pregnant women since the treatment can be harmful to the unborn baby. Breastfeeding mothers are discouraged from taking part in Opdivo trials since it’s not established whether this medicine can be passed into breast milk.

If you’re considering enrollment in a clinical trial involving nivolumab, make sure to consult with your healthcare provider first.

Negative Side Effects of Opdivo Clinical Trials

While Opdivo can be quite successful in treating advanced stages of various cancer types, it is also known to induce negative side effects, which can be severe. Being aware of potentially life-threatening complications is crucial before you sign up for an Opdivo clinical trial.

The table below lists some of the most serious and most common negative side effects that have been observed in Opdivo clinical trials so far. Bear in mind that patients in new trials can experience yet-unobserved and undocumented consequences in addition to these:

Serious Side Effects

Most Common Side Effects

  • Pneumonitis
  • Colitis
  • Hepatitis
  • Hormone gland problems (thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands, and pancreas)
  • Nephritis, renal failure, and other kidney problems
  • Skin issues
  • Encephalitis
  • Serious infusion reactions
  • Cough
  • Vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Constipation
  • Decreased appetite
  • Back pain
  • Upper respiratory tract infection
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Abdominal pain
  • Rash and itchy skin
  • Muscle, bone, and joint pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Weakness

Alternative Resources for Finding Opdivo Clinical Trials

DoNotPay is a great solution for finding all relevant Opdivo clinical trials based on the disease type or location, but if you want to extend your research and use some other resources, check out this list of official and verified search platforms for clinical trials in the United States and worldwide:

  1. National Cancer Institute
  2. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  3. Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)
  4. ResearchMatch
  5. EmergingMed Clinical Trial Navigator Service

How Else Can DoNotPay Help?

Our app can do more than search for clinical trials. Medical bills can be exorbitant if you’re dealing with serious diseases like cancer. If you need help with covering your medical expenses or finding the best loans to do so, DoNotPay will gladly give you a hand.

We can assist with canceling unsatisfactory health insurance plans, whether they are provided by Humana or Aflac. Having issues with administration outside of a hospital? The chances are DoNotPay has a solution.

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