Nivolumab: An Effective First Line of Defense for Cancer Treatment - Essay Sample

Introduction

Nivolumab is always marketed as Opdivo; it is a pharmaceutical applied in the treatment of cancer. In most cases, it is used as the first line of defense for the metastatic melanoma or inoperable. The generic name is Nivolumab mainly refers to the chemical makeup of the drug. The drug's chemical compound consists of Nivolumab compound. The trade name, Opdivo is mainly used in the pharmaceutical industry to enhance the sale of the drug.

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Drug Structure

The drug, Nivolumab, takes the chemical structure; C6362H9862N1712O1995S42 (Xu 24). The drug structure consists of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. These components are combined in different ratios and proportions.

Drug Formulation

Nivolumab is formulated in the form of monotherapy or even in combination with the ipilimumab. The infusion is done in the chemical form, or inform of the element components. In most cases, the infusion is done under favorable temperature. The recommended dose is always 3mg/kg in combination with the 1mg/kg ipilimumab.

The recommended dose is 3 mg/kg Nivolumab in combination with 1 mg/kg ipilimumab administered intravenously every three weeks for the first four doses (Xu 31).

Drug Target

Nivolumab is designed to target the tumor cells that are causing abnormal growth within the body. Nivolumab ultimately causes the tumor cells to starve. Also, it blocks the interaction between PD-1, PD-L2, AND PD-L1 (Xu 17).

Purpose of Targeting

The main reason for targeting the tumor cells is to reduce the continuous growth by reducing the protein and the gene content of these cells. Tumor cells are cancerous, and therefore, they can cause serious health concerns. When not controlled they can lead to death. Nivolumab is therefore meant to target the protein content and inhibit its chemical properties.

Drug Mechanism

Nivolumab works by releasing the human immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody that fixes into the PD-1 receptor and inhibits or blocks its interaction with the PD-L1 and PD-L2. In the above case, the drug works by releasing PD-1 pathway-mediated blockage of the entire immune response, involving the anti-tumor immune response. Besides, the drug works by binding PD-L1, PD-1 ligands, and PD-L2 to the PD-1 receptors that exist in the T cells (Xu 26). Therefore, Nivolumab inhibits Tumor cell proliferation, as well as cytokine production. The up-regulation of the PD-1 ligands often takes place in some tumor cells; as a result, signaling through the above pathway can result in the inhibition of the active tumor cells.

Drug Distribution

Nivolumab is distributed around the tumor cells, the drug operates throughout the body, but it only targets the tumor cells. Through the biochemical reactions, the drug can inhibit the proliferation of the tumor cells throughout the body.

Drug Metabolism

The distribution of the drug, Nivolumab, exhibits linear pharmacokinetics when given in the doze range of 0.1 to 20mg for every kilogram (Xu 21). During its reactions with the cells, Nivolumab is catabolized into amino acids and peptides.

Drug Elimination

The drug, Nivolumab, is eliminated through the renal systems. Specifically, the by-products are removed from the body through the kidney and in the fecal products.

Off-Target Effects

While not reacting to the tumor cells, Nivolumab may destroy the non-tumor cells. In other words, through continuous reactions with the target cells, the drug may inhibit the reaction of the untargeted cells.

Reason for Off-Target Effects

In the process of biochemical reactions, Nivolumab may react to other cells that are not part of the tumor cells. In most cases, the tumor cells are outgrowth of the normal cells; therefore, through the reactions with the cells, Nivolumab may mistakenly reach the normal cells.

Work Cited

Xu, James X, V E. Maher, Lijun Zhang, Shenghui Tang, Rajeshwari Sridhara, Amna Ibrahim, Geoffrey Kim, and Richard Pazdur. Fda Approval Summary: Nivolumab in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma After Anti-Angiogenic Therapy and Exploratory Predictive Biomarker Analysis. , 2017. Internet resource.