The Food and Drug Administration is entertaining the use of a drug commonly used to treat lung cancer, Opdivo, for use in the treatment of some qualifying mesothelioma patients. The current approval process in motion follows realization in the global medical community that Opdivo has proved to extend the lives of many patients suffering metastatic diseases. The drug works to awaken the body’s immune response to fight off the cancer cells, and acts as a catalyst in that regard. Allegedly, this is the first drug of its kind to garner widespread approval just months after first introduced to a small sample of patients with lung cancer.

Mesothelioma treatments currently vary based on type of mesothelioma and prognosis. Many treatments can be considered to fight mesothelioma, although there is no discovered cure for the disease. This new treatment may provide promise for mesothelioma patients and extend life-expectancy.

Although this drug is typically used to treat patients specifically with lung cancer, mesothelioma patients may be granted access to treatment using this drug, if the Food and Drug Administration deems the drug acceptable for widespread use in treating mesothelioma. Moreover, mesothelioma patients may be administered Opdivo if other treatment methods have been exhausted and the attending doctor deems the risk of administering Opdivo equal to or less than the risk naturally caused by the patient’s previously diagnosed type and staging of mesothelioma. Clinical trials are still underway to seek the approval of this drug for use in the treatment of mesothelioma.

For more information regarding current mesothelioma treatment options, request a free book of answers. For a free consultation with an experienced mesothelioma attorney regarding your case and legal rights if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, or if you need to be referred to an experienced doctor, contact the legal team at MRHFM today. MRHFM is the largest firm exclusively dedicated to helping mesothelioma victims and their families.