Your immune system works continuously to protect your body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign agents. When you have psoriatic arthritis (PsA), your immune system becomes overactive and produces excess amounts of a protein called tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF-alpha.
This presence of excess TNF-alpha causes your immune system to mistakenly attack healthy cells in your body, including internal organs, skin, or joints. It causes the inflammation you may experience as painful and sometimes embarrassing disease symptoms [1]. REMICADE® has been shown to block the action of TNF-alpha. This inhibits an underlying cause of inflammation.
See how REMICADE® works in the illustration below:
REMICADE® can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal events can occur. There have been reports of serious infections including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that have spread throughout the body. Lymphoma, including a fatal kind called hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, and other cancers have been reported in children and adults taking REMICADE®. Some people with heart failure should not take REMICADE®. Other serious side effects reported include skin cancer, hepatitis B, liver injury, blood problems, allergic reactions, nervous system problems, or lupus-like syndrome. To learn more about these and other risks, please read the Important Safety Information [2] and the Medication Guide
[3], and talk with your doctor.
Download the Medication Guide [3] to learn more about REMICADE®. (Requires Adobe® Reader®. Click here [4] to download.)
If your doctor decides REMICADE® is right for you, you'll receive it as an intravenous (IV) infusion from a healthcare professional over a period of no less than 2 hours. With REMICADE®, you will have as few as 6 treatments a year after the 3 starter doses. That's once every 8 weeks after the first year.
REMICADE® is given either in your doctor's office or in a treatment center, so someone will always be close by while you receive treatment and for a period of time afterward to monitor you for side effects. And because REMICADE® is infused, it goes directly into your bloodstream. After your infusion, you should be able to continue with your normal schedule as advised by your doctor.
Before each infusion, your doctor will calculate the right amount of medication for you, based on your weight.
Remember: If you have any questions or changes in your health status at any point during the infusion process, be sure to discuss them with the healthcare professional overseeing your treatment. This summary is a general example of how infusion treatments may occur. Your infusion treatment may differ based on your healthcare provider.
For detailed information about the REMICADE® IV infusion process, please see your healthcare provider.
NEXT: FAQs [5]
Only your doctor can recommend a course of treatment after checking your health condition. REMICADE® (infliximab) can cause serious side effects such as lowering your ability to fight infections. Some patients, especially those 65 years and older, have had serious infections caused by viruses, fungi or bacteria that have spread throughout the body, including tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis. Some of these infections have been fatal. Your doctor should monitor you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with REMICADE®.
Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking TNF-blocker medicines. Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of fatal lymphoma, has occurred mostly in teenage or young adult males with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who were taking REMICADE® and azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including REMICADE®, the chances of getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase.
You should discuss any concerns about your health and medical care with your doctor.
What should I tell my doctor before I take REMICADE®?
You should let your doctor know if you have or ever had any of the following:
Also tell your doctor if you:
What should I watch for and talk to my doctor about before or while taking REMICADE®?
The following serious (sometimes fatal) side effects have been reported in people taking REMICADE®.
You should tell your doctor right away if you have any of the signs listed below:
For more information, please download the Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide and discuss it with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Links:
[1] http://www.remicade.com/psoriatic-arthritis/understanding
[2] http://www.remicade.com/psoriatic-arthritis/how-remicade-works#isi
[3] http://www.remicade.com/shared/product/remicade/medication-guide.pdf
[4] http://get.adobe.com/reader
[5] http://www.remicade.com/psoriatic-arthritis/faqs