A Study of Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine or Nivolumab/Ipilimumab and Hydroxychloroquine in Advanced Melanoma

NCT04464759 | Recruiting Phase 1 FDA Drug

• 2 other identifiers: UPCC 01620IRB#835033
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 94
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy (objective response rate) of using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab or with nivolumab alone in subjects with advanced/metastatic melanoma.

Conditions

Melanoma

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Phase 1: Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) - Number of Subjects with Dose-limiting Toxicities

  To determine the MTD and preliminary safety of HCQ when administered in conjunction with one of the following treatments in patients with advanced melanoma: * HCQ administered in combination with nivolumab; or * HCQ administered in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab followed by maintenance nivolumab

  From first dose of protocol treatment to 16 to 32 weeks

• Phase 2: Objective Response Rate (ORR)

  To assess the ORR as measured by RECIST v1.1. in subjects with advanced melanoma

  12 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Progression-free survival

  From start of treatment to first progression, death due to any cause or last patient contact alive and progression-free over 24 months

• 1 year survival rate

  From start of treatment to one year

Study Arms (3)

Phase 1a: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

EXPERIMENTAL

Dose escalation: Dose Level 1: HCQ 400 mg orally every 12 hours and nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks Dose Level 2: HCQ 600 mg orally every 12 hours and nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks Continue protocol treatment for up to 24 months until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, or other protocol-mandated study removal.

Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Hydroxychloroquine

Phase 2: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

EXPERIMENTAL

HCQ 400-600 mg (maximum tolerated dose from Phase 1a) orally every 12 hours and nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks Continue protocol treatment for up to 24 months until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, or other protocol-mandated study removal.

Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Hydroxychloroquine

Phase 1b: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab +Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

EXPERIMENTAL

HCQ 400-600 mg orally every 12 hours and nivolumab 3 mg/kg IV plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks x4 cycles Then 6 weeks after the last dose of ipilimumab/nivolumab begin maintenance nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks Continue protocol treatment for up to 24 months until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, or other protocol-mandated study removal.

Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Hydroxychloroquine; Drug: Ipilimumab

Interventions

Nivolumab DRUG

Combination of nivolumab and hydroxychloroquine OR nivolumab, hydroxychloroquine and ipilimumab

Also known as: Opdivo®

Phase 1a: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); Phase 1b: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab +Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); Phase 2: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

Hydroxychloroquine DRUG

Combination of nivolumab and hydroxychloroquine OR nivolumab, hydroxychloroquine and ipilimumab

Also known as: Plaquenil

Phase 1a: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); Phase 1b: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab +Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); Phase 2: Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

Ipilimumab DRUG

Combination of nivolumab, hydroxychloroquine and ipilimumab

Also known as: YERVOY®

Phase 1b: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab +Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Histological or cytological evidence of melanoma, unresectable Stage III or Stage IV, any genotype, and any programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry (IHC) status
• Phase 1a: nivolumab + HCQ: any prior treatment, or treatment naïve
• Phase 2: nivolumab + HCQ:
• \- - Cohort 2a: prior immunotherapy in the adjuvant or metastatic setting is required
• \- - Cohort 2b: anti-PD-1 Ab-naïve, but may have received any prior other therapy
• Phase 1b nivolumab + ipilimumab + HCQ: anti-PD-1 refractory
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1
• At least one measurable site of disease by RECIST 1.1 criteria that has not been previously irradiated.
• Fresh or archived primary or metastatic tissue available for submission for correlative analyses
• Negative serum pregnancy test within 28 days prior to commencement of dosing in premenopausal women. Negative urine pregnancy test within 24 hours of starting treatment.
• Able to swallow and retain oral medication and no clinically significant gastrointestinal abnormalities that may alter absorption such as malabsorption syndrome or major resection of the stomach or bowels
• Adequate baseline organ function

You may not qualify if:

• Known serious concurrent infection or medical illness, including psychiatric disorders, which would jeopardize the ability to receive the protocol treatment with reasonable safety.
• Pregnant or breast-feeding.
• Patients with brain metastases treated with whole brain radiation that have been stable for 2 months are eligible; patients with brain metastases treated with gamma knife or surgery are allowed to participate after 2 weeks have elapsed since their procedure. Subjects are excluded if they have leptomeningeal disease or metastases causing spinal cord compression that are symptomatic or untreated or not stable for greater than or equal to 3 months (documented by imaging) or requiring corticosteroids greater than 20 mg prednisone equivalent daily.
• Must have discontinued active immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or investigational anticancer therapy at least 4 weeks prior to entering the study and oral targeted therapy at least 2 weeks prior to entering the study.
• All prior anti-cancer treatment-related toxicities (except alopecia and laboratory values listed in protocol eligibility) must be less than or equal to Grade 1 or irreversible (hypophysitis) according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5 at the time of starting treatment. Patients that are asymptomatic on low dose maintenance hormone replacement delivered at a stable dose for prior toxicities are eligible.
• Prior or concurrent cancer therapy. Active immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or investigational anticancer therapy within 4 weeks prior to entering the study or oral targeted therapy within 2 weeks prior to entering the study
• Phase 2 nivolumab + HCQ Cohort B: No prior immunotherapy is permitted
• Patients known to be experiencing an objective partial response to immunotherapy at the time of study enrollment.
• History of malignancy other than disease under study within 3 years of study enrollment EXCEPT: history of completely resected non-melanoma skin cancer, or history of indolent second malignancies are eligible.
• Diagnosis of severe autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppressive medications. Patients with adrenal insufficiency on replacement dose steroids are eligible.
• History of interstitial lung disease or chronic pneumonitis unrelated to prior immunotherapy. Prior interstitial pneumonitis related to immunotherapy that was completely treated with no need for ongoing clinical management is allowed.
• Due to risk of disease exacerbation patients with porphyria or psoriasis are ineligible unless the disease is well controlled and they are under the care of a specialist for the disorder who agrees to monitor the patient for exacerbations.
• Known immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reaction or idiosyncrasy to drugs chemically related to study drug, or excipients or to dimethyl sulfoxide.
• Patients receiving cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing anticonvulsant drugs (i.e. phenytoin, carbamazepine, Phenobarbital, primidone or oxcarbazepine) within 4 weeks of the start of the study treatment
• Current use of a prohibited medication as described in section on Potential for Drug-Drug Interaction.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ravi Amaravadi, MD: lead
• Bristol-Myers Squibb: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Abramson Cancer Center at University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Melanoma

Interventions

Nivolumab; Hydroxychloroquine; Ipilimumab

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neuroendocrine Tumors; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Nevi and Melanomas; Skin Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Proteins; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins; Chloroquine; Aminoquinolines; Quinolines; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds

Study Officials

• Ravi Amaravadi, MD

  Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Lydia Giles, BSN, RN

CONTACT

215-662-6389; lydia.giles@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 1
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Medicine

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 8, 2020
• First Posted: July 9, 2020
• Study Start: October 21, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 6, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 6, 2027
• Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (1)