A study was able to quantify the transference of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Overall, the researchers found low levels of transfer for the treatments studied.
TNF Inhibitors & Pregnancy: How Well Does the Treatment Guidance Work?
Ghalandari et al. sought to validate the guidance outlined by EULAR for the use of anti-rheumatic drugs during pregnancy, finding that following its guidance for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors led to no or low concentrations of these agents in cord blood.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring May Offer Little Benefit to Patient Remission Rates During Infliximab Induction Therapy
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…
Drug Reduction Strategies, Disease Control for Patients with RA in Remission
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Clinical aspects of managing patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission were discussed by a panel of experts at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting during the session titled Rheumatoid Arthritis—Clinical Aspects IV: Managing Patients in Remission. Among the issues raised were strategies to taper or discontinue biologic therapies, as well as clinical predictors of…