Is Nivolumab safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Nivolumab. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. A mother with melanoma was started on intravenous nivolumab 480 mg every four weeks at 6 weeks post-partum. Seventy-two breast milk samples were collected over a 34-day period during the first and second cycles of therapy. A peak concentration of 157 mcg/L occurred on day 3 after the first dose, then after a decline in concentrations another increase in concentrations started at day 7 reaching a peak concentration of 503 mcg/L on day 13. The milk concentration at the time of the second dose on day 27 was about 175 mcg/L and the peak milk concentration of nivolumab at 7 days after the second dose was higher after the second dose. The authors speculated that nivolumab accumulation in milk could continue because of its long half-life.[ 2 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Nivolumab is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.