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 doctor’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 30 to 90 minutes to administer. Opdivo and Yervoy are not mixed in the same bag.