Adalimumab

Adalimumab, sold under the brand name Humira among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, uveitis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Use is generally only recommended in people who have not responded to other treatments. It is used by injection under the skin. Adalimumab, sold under the brand name Humira among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, uveitis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Use is generally only recommended in people who have not responded to other treatments. It is used by injection under the skin. Common side effects include upper respiratory tract infections, pain at the site of injection, rash, and headache. Other side effects may include serious infections, cancer, anaphylaxis, reactivation of hepatitis B, multiple sclerosis, heart failure, liver failure, and aplastic anemia. Use during pregnancy is not recommended, while some feel use during breastfeeding may be safe. Adalimumab is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug and monoclonal antibody that works by inactivating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα). Adalimumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2002. A month supply in the United Kingdom costs the NHS about £704.28 as of 2018. In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$5,041.12. In 2014, a biosimilar came to market in India at a price of US$400 per month. While the patent expired in the United States in 2016 it may take a number of years before generic versions become available there. In 2016 it was the 150th most prescribed medication in the United States with more than 4 million prescriptions. Like other TNF inhibitors, it is an immunosuppresive medication, used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Adalimumab is administered by subcutaneous injection. For most indications, the maintenance treatment is an injection every other week. Adalimumab has been shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults. It may be used alone or in combination with DMARDs. It has also been shown to have efficacy in moderate to severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children 4 and older, and is approved for the treatment of that condition. In rheumatoid athritis, it has been approved for use alone, or with methotrexate or similar medicines, in the U.S. since 2002. It has a similar effectiveness as methotrexate and, in combination, nearly doubles the response rate of methotrexate alone. In 2003, adalimumab began undergoing trials for use in treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Adalimumab has been shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of, and is approved for treatment of, ankylosing spondylitis in adults. Adalimumab has been shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe Crohn's disease. It has been approved for that use in the UK since 2009.