Pharmacy & Therapeutics - June 2008 - (Page 324)

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Tuberculosis (frequently disseminated or extrapulmonary at clinical presentation), invasive fungal infections, and other opportunistic infections, have been observed in patients receiving CIMZIA. Some of these infections have been fatal. Anti-tuberculosis treatment of patients with latent tuberculosis infection reduces the risk of reactivation in patients receiving treatment with TNF blockers such as CIMZIA. However, active tuberculosis has developed in patients receiving CIMZIA whose tuberculin test was negative. Evaluate patients for tuberculosis risk factors and test for latent tuberculosis infection prior to initiating CIMZIA and during therapy. Initiate treatment of latent tuberculosis infection prior to therapy with CIMZIA. Monitor patients receiving CIMZIA for signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis, including patients who tested negative for latent tuberculosis infection. Consider anti-tuberculosis therapy prior to initiation of CIMZIA in patients with a past history of latent or active tuberculosis in whom an adequate course of treatment cannot be conﬁrmed. Serious infections, sepsis, and cases of opportunistic infections, including fatalities, have been reported in patients receiving TNF blockers, including CIMZIA. Infections have been reported in patients receiving CIMZIA alone or in conjunction with immunosuppressive agents. Do not initiate treatment with CIMZIA in patients with active infections, including chronic or localized infections. Patients who develop a new infection while undergoing treatment with CIMZIA should be monitored closely. Discontinue administration of CIMZIA if a patient develops a serious infection. Exercise caution when considering the use of CIMZIA in patients with a history of recurrent infection, concomitant immunosuppressive therapy, or underlying conditions that may predispose them to infections, or patients who have resided in regions where tuberculosis and histoplasmosis are endemic. Use of TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, may increase the risk of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients who are chronic carriers of this virus. Some cases have been fatal. Evaluate patients at risk for HBV infection for prior evidence of HBV infection before initiating CIMZIA therapy. Exercise caution in prescribing CIMZIA for patients identiﬁed as carriers of HBV. Patients who are carriers of HBV and require treatment with CIMZIA should be closely monitored for clinical and laboratory signs of active HBV infection throughout therapy and for several months following termination of therapy. In patients who develop HBV reactivation, discontinue CIMZIA and initiate effective anti-viral therapy with appropriate supportive treatment. During controlled and open-labeled portions of CIMZIA studies of Crohn’s disease and other investigational uses, malignancies were observed at a rate (95% conﬁdence interval) of 0.6 (0.4, 0.8) per 100 patient-years among 4,650 CIMZIA-treated patients versus a rate of 0.6 (0.2, 1.7) per 100 patient-years among 1,319 placebo-treated patients. The size of the control group and limited duration of the controlled portions of the studies preclude the ability to draw ﬁrm conclusions. In studies of CIMZIA for Crohn’s disease and other investigational uses, there was one case of lymphoma among 2,657 CIMZIA-treated patients and one case of Hodgkin lymphoma among 1,319 placebo-treated patients. The potential role of TNF blocker therapy in the development of malignancies is not known. Symptoms compatible with hypersensitivity reactions, including angioedema, dyspnea, hypotension, rash, serum sickness, and urticaria, have been reported rarely following CIMZIA administration. If such reactions occur, discontinue further administration of CIMZIA and institute appropriate therapy. Use of TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, has been associated with rare cases of new onset or exacerbation of clinical symptoms and/or radiographic evidence of demyelinating disease. Rare cases of neurological disorders, including seizure disorder, optic neuritis, and peripheral neuropathy have been reported in patients treated with CIMZIA; the causal relationship to CIMZIA remains unclear. Exercise caution in considering the use of CIMZIA in patients with these disorders. Rare reports of pancytopenia, including aplastic anemia, have been reported with TNF blockers. Medically signiﬁcant cytopenia (e.g., leukopenia, pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia) has been infrequently reported with CIMZIA. The causal relationship of these events to CIMZIA remains unclear. Advise all patients to seek immediate medical attention if they develop signs and symptoms suggestive of blood dyscrasias or infection (e.g., persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, pallor) while on CIMZIA. Consider discontinuation of CIMZIA therapy in patients with conﬁrmed signiﬁcant hematologic abnormalities. Serious infections were seen in clinical studies with concurrent use of anakinra (an interleukin-1 antagonist) and another TNF blocker, with no added beneﬁt. Therefore, the combination of CIMZIA and anakinra is not recommended. Interference with certain coagulation assays has been detected in patients treated with CIMZIA. There is no evidence that CIMZIA therapy has an effect on in vivo coagulation. Cases of worsening congestive heart failure (CHF) and new onset CHF have been reported with TNF blockers. CIMZIA has not been formally studied in patients with CHF. Exercise caution when using CIMZIA in patients who have heart failure and monitor them carefully. Treatment with CIMZIA may result in the formation of autoantibodies and, rarely, in the development of a lupus-like syndrome. Discontinue treatment if symptoms of lupus-like syndrome develop. Do not administer live vaccines or attenuated vaccines concurrently with CIMZIA. In controlled Crohn’s clinical trials, the most common adverse events that occurred in 5% of CIMZIA patients (n=620) and more frequently than with placebo (n=614) were upper respiratory infection (20% CIMZIA, 13% placebo), urinary tract infection (7% CIMZIA, 6% placebo), and arthralgia (6% CIMZIA, 4% placebo). The proportion of patients who discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions in the controlled clinical studies was 8% for CIMZIA and 7% for placebo. CIMZIA should be administered by a healthcare professional. REFERENCES 1. Schreiber S, Khaliq-Kareemi M, Lawrance IC, et al. Maintenance therapy with certolizumab pegol for Crohn’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:239-250. 2. CIMZIA [prescribing information]. Smyrna, GA: UCB, Inc.; 2008. 3. Schreiber S, Panes J, Mason D, Lichtenstein G, Sandborn WJ. Sustained efficacy and tolerability of certolizumab pegol over 18 months: data from PRECiSE 2 and its extension studies (PRECiSE 3 and 4). Poster presented at: American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting; October 12-17, 2007; Philadelphia, PA. 4. Data on file. UCB, Inc.; Smyrna, GA. 5. Harvey R, Bradshaw J. A simple index of Crohn’s disease activity. Lancet. 1980;1:514. 6. Best WR. Predicting the Crohn’s disease activity index from the Harvey-Bradshaw Index. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2006;12:304-310. 7. Sandborn WJ, Feagan BG, Stoinov S, et al; for the PRECiSE 1 Study Investigators. Certolizumab pegol for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2007;375:228-238. 8. Chapman AP. PEGylated antibodies and antibody fragments for improved therapy: a review. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2002;54:531-545. CIMZIA® is registered trademark of UCB, Inc. or its afﬁliates. © 2008 UCB, Inc. All rights reserved. CCM065-0408

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Editorial Aliskiren Reduces Plasma Renin Activity Medication Errors Prescription: Washington New Drugs/Drug News/ New Medical Devices Drug Forecast Challenges in Evaluating and Standardizing Medical Devices in Health Care Facilities California e-Pedigree Rules Pose Challenges For Pharmacies Pharmaceutical Approval Update American Psychiatric Association At a Glance: Dermatology Trends in Managed Care

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - June 2008

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