Adalimumab is an injectable prescription drug used to treat diseases of the immune system; it is marketed by Abbot as Humira. It is one of three drugs that work by inhibiting the potent inflammatory molecule tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha); the others are etanercept (Enbrel) and infliximab (Remicade). Like etanercept and infliximab, adalimumab is a large protein molecule made with recombinant DNA technology. Adalimumab is a monoclonal antibody of the IgG1 subtype that has been "humanized", meaning that all of its components are derived from human molecules.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor a (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation.
Two new studies suggest that excess levels of a protein associated with inflammation, TNF, may produce cognitive decline. TNF regulates both inflammation and brain function. TNF is elevated in the blood in many autoimmune diseases, and in the fluid surrounding the brain in Alzheimer's disease.
People with rheumatoid arthritis whose health insurance requires them to pay a higher share of the cost are less likely to use biotech drugs than those with coverage that is more generous. High family medical bills also appear to reduce the use of these powerful but expensive medications, according to a new study in Health Services Research.
GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended April 4, 2010. The total net loss for the first quarter was $7.7 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $10.4 million, or $0.99 per share, for the first quarter of 2009.
GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 3, 2010. The total net loss for the fourth quarter was $1.7 million, or $0.09 per share, compared with $6.2 million, or $0.60 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2008. The total net loss for 2009 was $27.9 million, or $2.18 per share, compared to $22.7 million, or $2.31 per share, for 2008.
For the approximately 7.5 million Americans affected by psoriasis, the thick, red, scaly, itchy plaques it causes only scratch the surface when it comes to the overall implications of this disease. Now, ongoing research linking psoriasis to other serious medical conditions and the incredible toll it can take on a person's overall quality of life are shifting the way psoriasis is viewed - from a common skin disease to a complex systemic condition.
A recent study by Swedish researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients did not experience an elevated cancer risk in the first 6 years after starting anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who regularly adhere to their prescription drug regimen have fewer emergency room and doctor visits and incur lower medical costs, according to research presented today by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
New long-term data from two pivotal, Phase 3 clinical trials showed that patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab) every four weeks achieved sustained improvements in signs and symptoms and physical function response through one year. These new data were presented today at the 2009 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Scientific Meeting.
More studies that directly compare the effectiveness of different biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are needed, say Cochrane Researchers. The researchers reviewed all previous Cochrane Systematic Reviews assessing the effectiveness of biologic disease-modifying drugs for treatment of RA and found that although all were very effective, there was little data on direct comparisons between the drugs that could help doctors decide which to prescribe.
Treatments for psoriasis often present a therapeutic challenge to physicians because, besides affecting the skin, psoriasis may be associated with various comorbidities (for instance, depression, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and, in severe psoriasis, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases).
Golimumab, a new tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor reduces the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have previously received any other TNF-α inhibitor, and might be a good option for patients who have inadequate responses to one or two other TNF-α inhibitors, finds an Article published Online first and in this week's edition of The Lancet.
Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab are effective at reducing symptoms and slowing progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These drugs act more quickly, require less laboratory monitoring, and are better tolerated than nonbiologic DMARDs, but they are also up to 100 times more expensive.
The UAB Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics has won a $2.2 million federal grant to study the risks and benefits of a class of drugs called ‘biologics' -- genetically engineered agents targeting the immune system of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).
Rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patient advocates have come together to publish the first-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a disease that mainly affects people who have psoriasis but also some people without it.
Researchers have discovered two new genes that increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in childhood.
Drugs that have helped treat millions of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may hold the key to many more medical conditions, including atherosclerosis - a leading cause of heart disease - says the researcher who jointly invented and developed them.
Two British researchers who pioneered treatments which have helped millions of people with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases have been awarded the prestigious 2008 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, announced today.
For elderly and disabled rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers, the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) brought the promise of better disease management with "biologic" drugs.