Anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody (immune checkpoint inhibitor)

Ipilimumab (Specialist drug)

Brand names: Yervoy

Adult dose

Dose: Specialist initiation only — refer to BNF/SmPC

Route: IV

Frequency: per protocol

Clinical pearls

Advanced melanoma, RCC, mesothelioma, others
Specialist immune-related toxicity protocols (steroids ± additional immunosuppression)

Contraindications

Active autoimmune disease
Severe immune-related toxicity from previous course

Side effects

Immune-mediated adverse events: colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, dermatitis, endocrinopathies (hypophysitis, thyroid, adrenal)
Infusion reactions

Interactions

Systemic corticosteroids/immunosuppressants reduce efficacy unless treating irAE
Live vaccines

Monitoring

LFTs
TFTs
Cortisol
Glucose
Skin
Bowel/respiratory symptoms

Reference: BNF; NICE TA319/TA744; ESMO immunotherapy toxicity guidelines; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ipilimumab-specialist-drug/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Calculators

Pathways