Description
Description
Humira® (adalimumab) has become the world’s best-selling drug with 10 approved uses and more on the way. However, it comes at a cost. A patient’s medication can cost more than $50,000 a year. Approximately 4,200 patients may have lost their lives as a result. Here at buyinsulinonline.com, we have helped hundreds of American patients by providing a cheaper option (compared to the neighborhood pharmacy).
RA symptoms such as joint swelling, pain, and fatigue can be reduced with adalimumab, a drug used to treat moderate to severe cases. Additionally, it can be used for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, uveitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. The drug adalimumab is commonly known as Humira®.
DNA molecules are joined together to make Humira®. Humira® is a type of biologic. To be considered for biologics, patients must have an inadequate response to conventional medications.
As it relates to Humira®, it is a TNF blocker, specifically. In order to suppress the immune system, the drug blocks the action of TNF.
Immune cells produce TNF naturally. A certain type of autoimmune disease causes the production of too much TNF in some people.
There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that can be caused by the body’s overproduction of TNF and other proteins, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis.
By binding to TNF molecules, Humira prevents them from attaching to healthy cells and attacking them. In addition to reducing the damaging effects of excess TNF, the medication does not prevent the body from making too much.
Warnings and Precautions
Warnings and Precautions
If you have any allergies, tell your doctor before taking Humira. An allergic reaction may be triggered by ingredients such as natural rubber or latex in this medication. You can also contact us and we can have you connect with one of our licensed pharmacists.
Your doctor needs to know about your medical history before starting Humira, such as recent/current/repeated infections such as tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, or hepatitis B; blood bone marriage problems (low white/red blood cells or platelets), brain/nervous disorders (such as MS, Guillain-Barre syndrome), diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and lupus.
Avoid spreading infections by washing your hands thoroughly. Infections or worsening conditions may be associated with Humira. Vaccines and vaccines for chickenpox, measles, and the flu should be taken as recommended by your doctor.
Avoid people who have recently received vaccinations if you are considering vaccinations or immunizations.
Avoid getting cut, bruised, or injured when using sharp objects such as razors and nail cutters. Sports that involve contact should be avoided.
All medications, including over-the-counter drugs, herbal supplements, and prescription medications, should be disclosed to your doctor.
If you are using Humira or planning to use it, let your doctor know if you plan to get pregnant. It is not recommended to use Humira during pregnancy unless it is absolutely necessary. You should discuss Humira’s risks and benefits with your doctor.
You should consult your doctor before breastfeeding since this medication passes through breast milk.
This medication increases the risk of infection in older adults.
It affects your immune system when you take this drug. The decrease in immune system function caused by adalimumab can make you more susceptible to infection. It has been reported that severe conditions have been caused by viruses, fungi, and bacteria in people taking this medicine.
Infections such as tuberculosis (TB) are among the most severe. It is important to be tested for TB before and during treatment with this medication.
Treatment
Treatment
Rheumatoid Arthritis
In 2002, Humira was approved for treating adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The drug reduces signs and symptoms, induces major clinical responses, inhibits structural damage progression, and improves physical function in these patients. Nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate, can be combined with the medication.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Patients 2 years of age and older who have moderately to severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis can also benefit from Humira. Both methotrexate and this drug can be used together. It is warned on the drug’s label that TNF-blockers may cause cancer, some of which are fatal.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Humira was approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in October 2005. It works by diminishing the signs and symptoms of PsA, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function. Adalimumab can be prescribed alone or in combination with non-biologic DMARDs.
Ankylosing Spondylitis
In August 2006, Humira’s label was updated to include another indication: reducing symptoms and signs of ankylosing spondylitis. The spine is primarily affected by AS, a type of progressive arthritis.
Adult Crohn’s Disease
In 2007, Humira was added to the list of candidates for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who had not responded to conventional therapy. Both these patients and those who have lost response to or are intolerant to Remicade can benefit from this drug, reducing their signs and symptoms and bringing them into remission.
Pediatric Crohn’s Disease
Pediatric patients 6 years and older with moderate to severely active Crohn’s disease who have failed to respond adequately to corticosteroids or immunomodulators like azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) or methotrexate can also be treated with Humira for reducing signs and symptoms and inducing and maintaining remission. Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a rare and deadly cancer in men that most commonly occurs in teenagers and young men with inflammatory bowel disease who are also taking Imuran (azathioprine) or Purinethol (6-mercaptopurine, 6-MP).
Ulcerative Colitis
In September 2012, the FDA approved use of Humira for another gastrointestinal disorder, Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Medications such as corticosteroids, azathioprine, or 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) have not brought on and sustained remission in adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Researchers have not yet determined whether adalimumab is effective in patients who have lost response to other TNF blockers or are intolerant to them.
Plaque Psoriasis
AbbVie gained approval in January 2008 to market Humira to treat adults with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis (Ps) who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Patients are approved for the drug only under the condition that their health will be closely monitored and they will have regular follow-up visits with their doctors.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Humira was approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in 2015. The armpit, groin, buttocks, and breast are affected by this painful, chronic inflammatory skin disease. There was no approved treatment for adults with HS before adalimumab.
Uveitis
For adults suffering from a rare condition known as intermediate, posterior and panuveitis, Humira became the first and only FDA-approved non-corticosteroid eye medicine. This use was approved by the FDA in June 2016.
Usage
Usage
There are some TNF blockers that are injected at dermatologist’s offices or administered intravenously at infusion centers. Some Humira patients must visit their doctor’s office for injections, but most can inject the drug at home.
The Humira Pen or prefilled syringe may be used by the patient or caregiver to inject the medication. As a result, the needle cannot be seen by the patient when using the pen.
Before being injected into the abdomen or front thigh, the medication should be brought to room temperature for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. The medicine itself has caused patients to feel stings after the injection, in addition to the needle prick.
Injection sites should be rotated to reduce sensitivity and avoid increasingly painful injections. There should be no injection of medication in areas that are tender, bruised, red or hard on the skin.
Side Effects
Side Effects
Most common side effects include redness, itching, bleeding, and swelling at the injection site. The effects of the shot are usually mild and do not require patients to stop using the medication. However, one in five patients will develop a localized reaction at the site of the shot.
There are also common side effects associated with Humira, such as upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, headaches, and rash.
It can put users at a greater risk of serious or even deadly infections and illnesses since the medication suppresses the immune system. Cancers of the immune system, such as lymphomas, include tuberculosis (TB), invasive fungal infections, and tuberculosis.
Black box warnings are required by the FDA on drug labels for infections that could lead to hospitalization or death, including TB, sepsis, fungal infections and opportunistic infections. Lymphoma and T-cell lymphoma are also included in the boxed warning.
Warnings associated with Humira include:
An infection of serious severity
Cancers
Reactions at the injection site
Allergic reactions that are severe
Reactivation of Hepatitis B
Effects on the nervous system
Reactions in the blood
Congestive heart failure is getting worse
Syndrome similar to lupus
Drug Interactions
Drug Interactions
There are some medications that cannot be taken with adalimumab. Your doctor should know about all medicines you take during your treatment with Humira, including:
– Atacept and Etanercept;
– anakinra;
– And azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine
– Rituximab, certolizumab, golimumab, and infliximab.
There are other medications available as well. Additionally, adalimumab may interact with over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
This webpage does not list all possible interactions.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy
Adalimumab use during pregnancy has not been reliably associated with significant congenital disabilities according to the available studies.
In pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Crohn’s disease (CD), OTIS/MotherToBaby Humira Pregnancy Registry offers clinical data. According to registry results, 10% of pregnant women with RA or CD with first-trimester use of adalimumab experienced significant congenital disabilities, while 7.5% of the disease-matched comparison cohort experienced significant congenital disabilities.
There is no significant pattern of congenital disabilities, and differences between exposure groups may have influenced their occurrence. During the third trimester of pregnancy, adalimumab is actively transferred across the placenta and can affect the infant’s immune response. In an embryo-fetal perinatal development study conducted in cynomolgus monkeys, no fetal harm or malformations were observed with intravenous administration of adalimumab during organogenesis and later in gestation, at doses that generated exposures up to approximately 373 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 40 mg subcutaneous without methotrexate.
For the indicated populations, it is unknown what the background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage is. It is inevitable that a significant percentage of pregnancies will end in a birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcome. The estimated background risks of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies in the U.S. general population are 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively.
Storage
Storage
Refrigeration is necessary when storing Humira. To maintain its integrity, it is delivered in an insulated container.
Until you are ready to use it, please keep it in its original packaging.
It should never be frozen or used if it has already been frozen.
Ensure that the medication is kept away from direct sunlight.
Take it out of the refrigerator when ready to use and let it warm up naturally. Try not to heat it up too quickly.
Humira can be stored at room temperature (up to 77 degrees) for up to 2 weeks when traveling or not being able to keep medications cold.Humira can be stored unrefrigerated for up to 14 days.
If you want to dispose of medication properly, don’t flush it down the toilet or put it in the trash. Once expired or no longer needed, discard this medication according to your pharmacist’s instructions.
