Pimentel et al. evaluated the influence of anti-infliximab antibodies on patients with axial spondyloarthritis. The researchers found that anti-infliximab antibodies were associated with decreased infliximab performance and difficulty tapering its dosage, as well as a good clinical response to a second, alternate tumor necrosis factor inhibitor.
Three commercial health insurance payers have increased reimbursement for infliximab biosimilars in response to concerns that formulary requirements are leaving practices underwater.
On April 1, UnitedHealthcare updated reimbursement for infliximab biosimilars in response to concerns that formulary requirements are leaving practices underwater.
Although rheumatologists prescribe tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi’s) to treat several rheumatic diseases, they recognize immunogenicity influences the efficacy and safety of TNFi’s. Example: The formation of anti-drug antibodies can affect infusion reactions and cause low-serum drug levels and therapeutic failure. The induction phase is a period of high incidence of immunogenicity, and observational data…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Results of a randomized controlled trial do not support routine use of proactive therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) during infliximab induction for improving disease remission rates in patients rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Proactive therapeutic drug monitoring tailors biologic therapy to individual patients by measuring serum drug levels and…
On Feb. 1, UnitedHealthcare enacted a new policy designating Avsola and Inflectra as the preferred infliximab products for UHC commercial plans. ACR leaders have urged UHC to allow existing patients to continue on their current medication.
Subcutaneous CT-P13 (Remsima SC), biosimilar to infliximab, will soon be available in the E.U. to treat adults with rheumatoid arthritis…
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Amgen Inc.’s biosimilar copy of Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug, Remicade (infliximab), according to the regulator’s website. The biosimilar, Avsola (infliximab-axxq), has the same chemical components, dosage form and strength as Remicade and would treat a range of autoimmune disorders. The label for the…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can safely switch from infliximab to the biosimilar CT-P13, though they may face a higher risk of clinical relapse, researchers from Spain report. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of infliximab biosimilars in patients with IBD, but there are limited data about the effectiveness…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—New registry data should help reassure women with Crohn’s disease (CD) who need to continue infliximab during pregnancy that it won’t harm their baby. “The clinical condition of infants born to women with gestational infliximab exposure was similar to those without exposure,” the study team reports online July 19 in the American…