Azathioprine News and Research

RSS

Azathioprine is an immunosupressant used in organ transplantation, autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is a pro-drug, converted in the body to the active metabolites 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioinosinic acid.

FDA approves first oral medication for adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approval of Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to include adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Xeljanz is the first oral medication approved for chronic use in this indication.

30 May 2018

Common drug for autoimmune disease may increase risk of myeloid neoplasms

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that azathioprine, a drug commonly used to treat autoimmune disease, may increase the risk of myeloid neoplasms.

3 Feb 2017

Over-the-counter and prescription pain medications linked to drug-induced liver injury

More than 1,000 medications, with acetaminophen being the most common, have been associated with drug-induced liver injury.

30 Nov 2016

Thymectomy confers benefit to MG patients who do not have chest tumor, study shows

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine addresses a question doctors have sought to clarify for decades: whether a surgery conducted since the 1940s benefits the patients it targets.

11 Aug 2016

Mycophenolate mofetil drug seems safe, effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis

New research indicates that mycophenolate mofetil, a drug that is usually used to prevent rejection after kidney, heart or liver transplant, seems safe and effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), a serious chronic liver disease that mainly affects women.

22 Mar 2016

Organ transplant recipients more likely to develop melanoma

Organ transplant recipients are twice as likely to develop melanoma as people who do not undergo a transplant, and three times more likely to die of the dangerous skin cancer, suggests new research led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health student.

14 Aug 2015

Updated guidelines released for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Updated guidelines on the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been released by an international group of leading respiratory societies, The new guidelines, issued by the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society, and the Latin American Thoracic Association, were published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

15 Jul 2015

MSD announces EC approval of SIMPONI (golimumab) for treatment of adult patients with nr-axial SpA

MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA) today announced that on 22 June the European Commission approved SIMPONI (golimumab) for the treatment of adult patients with severe, active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axial SpA).

26 Jun 2015

Switching from Remicade to Inflectra benefits patients with rheumatic diseases

Hospira, Inc., a global leader in biosimilars, today announced the results of an independent clinical study, showing patients with rheumatic diseases experienced comparable clinical effectiveness and safety after switching from Remicade™ to Inflectra.

10 Jun 2015

Skin Cancer Awareness Recommended For HCT Recipients

Patients who undergo haematopoietic cell transplantation should be educated on the risk of skin cancer and the need for regular self-examination, US researchers say.

29 May 2015

UCB sponsoring several presentations on Cimzia for Crohn's disease at DDW 2015

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company focusing on immunology and neurology treatment and research, is sponsoring several data presentations on Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) at Digestive Disease Week 2015, taking place in Washington, DC from May 16-19.

17 May 2015

Women with IBD may be at increased risk for developing cervical cancer

Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk of cervical dysplasia and cancer, according to a new study1 published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

27 Mar 2015

Hospira announces launch of first biosimilar monoclonal antibody in Europe

Hospira, Inc., a world leader in the development of biosimilar therapies, today announced the launch of the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb), Inflectra (infliximab), in major European markets.

16 Feb 2015

NICE recommends REMICADE, HUMIRA and SIMPONI therapies for patients with ulcerative colitis

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued its Final Appraisal Document (FAD) recommending REMICADE (infliximab), HUMIRA (adalimumab) and SIMPONI (golimumab), within their marketing authorisations, as options for treating moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults whose disease has responded inadequately to conventional therapy including corticosteroids and mercaptopurine or azathioprine, or who cannot tolerate, or have medical contraindications for, such therapies.

16 Dec 2014

Patients with particular genetic variation more prone to drug-induced pancreatitis

Doctors have discovered that patients with a particular genetic variation are four times more likely to develop pancreatitis if they are prescribed a widely used group of drugs.

16 Sep 2014

Treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are idiopathic (we don’t know the cause) inflammatory diseases (IBD) of the colon and/or small bowel. They are chronic in that we do not have a medical cure and are differentiated from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) by inflammation that causes ulcerations of the GI tract.

7 Jul 2014

UCB, Dermira enter into licensing agreement for development, commercialization of Cimzia

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical leader, and Dermira, Inc., a privately held US-based dermatology company, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and future commercialization of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) in dermatology.

3 Jul 2014