Oncology & Cancer

Breakthrough in treatment for Dupuytren's disease

Researchers at the Kennedy Institute, University of Oxford, led by Professor Jagdeep Nanchahal have demonstrated the efficacy of the anti-TNF drug adalimumab for patients with early stage Dupuytren's disease.

Arthritis & Rheumatism

Study shows efficacy of new rheumatoid arthritis drug

(Medical Xpress) -- A new study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet demonstrates the efficacy of Tofacitinib, a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis. According to the study, which is published in The New England ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

UVB preferred for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis

(HealthDay) -- Ultraviolet B (UVB) is preferred by dermatologists for first-line treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in both healthy male and female patients, according to a study published in the March issue of the ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Study compares effectiveness of psoriasis treatments

(HealthDay) -- The effectiveness of therapies for psoriasis is variable, and may be lower in real-world settings than in trial settings, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Meta-analysis compares tx for inducing remission in Crohn's

(HealthDay)—For adult patients with Crohn's disease, adalimumab and infliximab + azathioprine are most effective for induction and maintenance of remission, according to a meta-analysis published in the February issue of ...

page 1 from 5

Adalimumab

Adalimumab (HUMIRA, Abbott) is the third TNF inhibitor, after infliximab and etanercept, to be approved in the United States. Like infliximab and etanercept, adalimumab binds to TNFα, preventing it from activating TNF receptors; adalimumab was constructed from a fully human monoclonal antibody, while infliximab is a mouse-human chimeric antibody and etanercept is a TNF receptor-IgG fusion protein. TNFα inactivation has proven to be important in downregulating the inflammatory reactions associated with autoimmune diseases. As of 2008 adalimumab has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, moderate to severe chronic psoriasis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

However, because TNFα is part of the immune system that protects the body from infection, prolonged treatment with adalimumab may slightly increase the risk of developing infections.

HUMIRA ("Human Monoclonal Antibody in Rheumatoid Arthritis") is marketed in both preloaded 0.8 mL syringes and also in preloaded pen devices (called Humira Pen), both injected subcutaneously, typically by the patient at home. It cannot be administered orally, because the digestive system would destroy the drug.

Adalimumab was the first fully human monoclonal antibody drug approved by the FDA. It was derived from phage display, and was discovered through a collaboration between BASF Bioresearch Corporation (Worcester, Massachuetts, a unit of BASF) and Cambridge Antibody Technology as D2E7, then further manufactured at BASF Bioresearch Corporation and developed by BASF Knoll (BASF Pharma) and, ultimately, manufactured and marketed by Abbott Laboratories after the acquisition of BASF Pharma by Abbott.

In 2009, HUMIRA had over $5 billion in annual sales.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA