The presence of excess tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF-alpha, causes your immune system to attack healthy skin cells from the inside out. This leads to the inflammation and psoriatic plaques you experience as the symptoms of plaque psoriasis. 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 and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.
Download the Medication Guide to learn more about REMICADE®. (Requires Adobe® Reader®. Click here 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. REMICADE® is the only medication of its kind to require as few as 6 treatments a year after 3 starter doses. That's once every 8 weeks.
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.
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.