New Drug Approved for Some Types of Arthritis
Great news! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new drug for three types of arthritis.
If you have moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis or active ankylosing spondylitis, this drug may be for you.
The drug is called ”Simponi” (golimumab) and is a product from Centocor Ortho Biotech (the same company that produces Remicade). Simponi is a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) blocker. The best news is that it is a monthly injectable treatment for adults. Not weekly or biweekly…MONTHLY!
Other TNF-a blockers currently on the market are Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), and Remicade (infliximab). Enbrel is a weekly injectable; whereas Humira is injected every other week. Remicade is an infusion treatment. Timing of infusions varies depending on type of arthritis.
If you have moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis or active ankylosing spondylitis, check with your rheumatologist to see if this drug may a good treatment option for you.
For more information about the approval announcement, see the FDA press release.
TNF-Blocker Users At Risk For Fungal Infections
originally published on 9/5/08
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release on September 4, 2008 indicating manufacturers of TNF-Blockers need to highlight the risk of fungal infections for patients taking those TNF-blockers.
According to the FDA, “Patients taking TNF blockers should be aware that they are more susceptible to serious fungal infections.” Additionally, “health care professionals are not consistently recognizing cases of histoplasmosis and other invasive fungal infections, leading to delays in treatment.” Some of these cases even resulted in death.
The medications involved are Humira, Enbrel, Remicade, and Cimzia. They are commonly used to treat some forms of arthritis and Crohn’s disease. If you are taking one of these biologic drugs, then check out the press release for further details. It is a must read!