Re: Adalimumab Plus Methotrexate Effective for Long-Standing Rheumatoid Arthritis

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your infomation. I'm currently taking

Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA. They

seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still got it

after 5 weeks taking them.

I'm concerned with the long term side effect. Do you

have any information regarding that?

Regards,

Stanley

--- a <papola@...> wrote:

> Adalimumab Plus Methotrexate Effective for

> Long-Standing Rheumatoid

> Arthritis

> By Bruce Sylvester, Contributing Writer

> Health Behavior News Service

>

>

>

> For people with long-standing rheumatoid

> arthritis, combined treatment

> with the new “biologic” drug adalimumab and

> methotrexate is about five

> times more effective than methotrexate alone,

> according to a new

> systematic review of studies.

>

> In six randomized controlled trials, comprising 2381

> people with at

> least 10 years of the disease, the authors report

> that adalimumab

> (Humira) plus methotrexate decreased pain and

> swelling in patients who

> fail to respond to standard treatment.

>

> Adalimumab “is even more active when used combined

> with methotrexate,”

> according to lead reviewer Federico Navarro-Sarabia,

> M.D., chair of

> rheumatology at the Hospital Universitario Virgen

> Macarena in Seville,

> Spain, and colleagues. “More people had improved

> symptoms with

> adalimumab alone than with fake injections, but the

> improvement was not

> as much as when adalimumab was taken in combination

> with methotrexate.”

>

> The review appears in the latest issue of The

> Cochrane Library, a

> publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an

> international

> organization that evaluates medical research.

> Systematic reviews draw

> evidence-based conclusions about medical practice

> after considering

> both the content and quality of existing medical

> trials on a topic.

>

> The reviewers found that after six months, 43

> percent of all subjects

> on adalimumab plus methotrexate had achieved a

> 50-percent improvement

> in symptoms, compared with 9 percent of all subjects

> receiving placebo

> plus methotrexate.

>

> In the longest-running study, X-rays showed that

> adalimumab injections

> slowed progression of joint damage more than

> placebo.

>

> Adalimumab was given in injections of 40 milligrams

> every other week or

> 20 milligrams per week.

>

> The reviewers determined clinical effectiveness of

> each drug by

> measuring patients’ improvement using a symptom

> scale devised by the

> American College of Rheumatology. They measured

> disease progression

> using European League Against Rheumatism radiologic

> criteria.

>

> They found that the rate of side effects was not

> significantly

> different between the adalimumab and placebo groups,

> but noted that the

> long-term side effects of adalimumab treatment have

> not yet been

> determined.

>

>

> Adalimumab works by preventing a protein called

> tumor necrosis factor

> (TNF) from signaling the release of joint-damaging

> substances. The

> other FDA-approved TNF blockers are etanercept

> (Enbrel) and infliximab

> (Remicade). Adalimumab is approved for the treatment

> of moderate to

> severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults who do not

> respond to other

> treatments.

>

> Methotrexate is the most widely used of “disease

> modifying

> antirheumatic drugs” among rheumatoid arthritis

> patients. Although

> DMARDs play an important role in arthritis

> treatment, only one,

> leflunomide, was developed specifically for

> rheumatoid arthritis

> treatment. Methotrexate was developed as a cancer

> treatment.

>

> “What we might be seeing here is a synergistic

> effect,” said

> Zashin, M.D., coauthor of a book on TNF blockers for

> arthritis, and

> clinical assistant professor at the University of

> Texas-Southwestern

> Medical School in Dallas. “Doctors and patients need

> to know, and this

> review supports the claim, that combination therapy

> will generally have

> a more robust effect, though some patients will do

> well on either drug

> alone. For patients with long-standing disease, this

> review affirms

> combination therapy as the standard of care.”

>

> Addressing future research priorities, the reviewers

> wrote, “The

> available clinical trials with adalimumab are

> short-term studies

> (six-months duration) and there is only one

> twelve-month study.

> Long-term efficacy and safety studies are needed.”

>

> Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which

> develops when

> certain cells of the immune system malfunction and

> attack healthy

> joints. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is

> unknown. The primary focus

> of the inflammation is in the synovium, the lining

> tissue of the joint.

> Inflammatory chemicals released by the immune cells

> cause swelling and

> damage to cartilage and bone.

>

> More than 2 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid

> arthritis,

> according to the American College of Rheumatology.

> About 75 percent of

> those affected are women. While the disease appears

> most commonly

> between the ages of 40 and 60, it can develop at any

> age.

>

>

>

> http://www.hbns.org/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1109

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your infomation. I'm currently taking

Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA. They

seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still got it

after 5 weeks taking them.

I'm concerned with the long term side effect. Do you

have any information regarding that?

Regards,

Stanley

--- a <papola@...> wrote:

> Adalimumab Plus Methotrexate Effective for

> Long-Standing Rheumatoid

> Arthritis

> By Bruce Sylvester, Contributing Writer

> Health Behavior News Service

>

>

>

> For people with long-standing rheumatoid

> arthritis, combined treatment

> with the new “biologic” drug adalimumab and

> methotrexate is about five

> times more effective than methotrexate alone,

> according to a new

> systematic review of studies.

>

> In six randomized controlled trials, comprising 2381

> people with at

> least 10 years of the disease, the authors report

> that adalimumab

> (Humira) plus methotrexate decreased pain and

> swelling in patients who

> fail to respond to standard treatment.

>

> Adalimumab “is even more active when used combined

> with methotrexate,”

> according to lead reviewer Federico Navarro-Sarabia,

> M.D., chair of

> rheumatology at the Hospital Universitario Virgen

> Macarena in Seville,

> Spain, and colleagues. “More people had improved

> symptoms with

> adalimumab alone than with fake injections, but the

> improvement was not

> as much as when adalimumab was taken in combination

> with methotrexate.”

>

> The review appears in the latest issue of The

> Cochrane Library, a

> publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an

> international

> organization that evaluates medical research.

> Systematic reviews draw

> evidence-based conclusions about medical practice

> after considering

> both the content and quality of existing medical

> trials on a topic.

>

> The reviewers found that after six months, 43

> percent of all subjects

> on adalimumab plus methotrexate had achieved a

> 50-percent improvement

> in symptoms, compared with 9 percent of all subjects

> receiving placebo

> plus methotrexate.

>

> In the longest-running study, X-rays showed that

> adalimumab injections

> slowed progression of joint damage more than

> placebo.

>

> Adalimumab was given in injections of 40 milligrams

> every other week or

> 20 milligrams per week.

>

> The reviewers determined clinical effectiveness of

> each drug by

> measuring patients’ improvement using a symptom

> scale devised by the

> American College of Rheumatology. They measured

> disease progression

> using European League Against Rheumatism radiologic

> criteria.

>

> They found that the rate of side effects was not

> significantly

> different between the adalimumab and placebo groups,

> but noted that the

> long-term side effects of adalimumab treatment have

> not yet been

> determined.

>

>

> Adalimumab works by preventing a protein called

> tumor necrosis factor

> (TNF) from signaling the release of joint-damaging

> substances. The

> other FDA-approved TNF blockers are etanercept

> (Enbrel) and infliximab

> (Remicade). Adalimumab is approved for the treatment

> of moderate to

> severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults who do not

> respond to other

> treatments.

>

> Methotrexate is the most widely used of “disease

> modifying

> antirheumatic drugs” among rheumatoid arthritis

> patients. Although

> DMARDs play an important role in arthritis

> treatment, only one,

> leflunomide, was developed specifically for

> rheumatoid arthritis

> treatment. Methotrexate was developed as a cancer

> treatment.

>

> “What we might be seeing here is a synergistic

> effect,” said

> Zashin, M.D., coauthor of a book on TNF blockers for

> arthritis, and

> clinical assistant professor at the University of

> Texas-Southwestern

> Medical School in Dallas. “Doctors and patients need

> to know, and this

> review supports the claim, that combination therapy

> will generally have

> a more robust effect, though some patients will do

> well on either drug

> alone. For patients with long-standing disease, this

> review affirms

> combination therapy as the standard of care.”

>

> Addressing future research priorities, the reviewers

> wrote, “The

> available clinical trials with adalimumab are

> short-term studies

> (six-months duration) and there is only one

> twelve-month study.

> Long-term efficacy and safety studies are needed.”

>

> Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which

> develops when

> certain cells of the immune system malfunction and

> attack healthy

> joints. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is

> unknown. The primary focus

> of the inflammation is in the synovium, the lining

> tissue of the joint.

> Inflammatory chemicals released by the immune cells

> cause swelling and

> damage to cartilage and bone.

>

> More than 2 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid

> arthritis,

> according to the American College of Rheumatology.

> About 75 percent of

> those affected are women. While the disease appears

> most commonly

> between the ages of 40 and 60, it can develop at any

> age.

>

>

>

> http://www.hbns.org/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1109

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Stanley,

The long term side effects for Humira (Adalimumab) are not known since

it's only been FDA approved since 2003.

However, it is a TNF inhibitor drug similar to Enbrel, which gained

approval in late 1998. These TNF inhibiting drugs are a new

classification of drugs called biologicals that started with Enbrel.

Patients that participated in the clinical trials of Humira

have been on the combination of MTX and Humira for over six years now,

so that is as far as the long term data is known.

I've been on Enbrel since shortly after it was approved. I worry about

the long term side effects, but I worry more about the damage RA has

and can do. I am willing to take my chances.

Everyone has to decide for themselves what they feel comfortable taking.

MTX can take up to 3 months to be effective. Some people see results

sooner.

From Abbot's site:

Long-Term Study Results

http://abbott.com/news/press_release.cfm?id=840

Long Term Safety Data on the Biologics: Enbrel, Remicade

http://www.spondylitis.org/press/news/229.aspx

a

On Aug 16, 2005, at 2:24 PM, stanley chia wrote:

> Thanks for your infomation.  I'm currently taking

> Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA.  They

> seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still got it

> after 5 weeks taking them.

>

> I'm concerned with the long term side effect.  Do you

> have any information regarding that?

>

> Regards,

>

> Stanley

[Guest guest]

Stanley,

The long term side effects for Humira (Adalimumab) are not known since

it's only been FDA approved since 2003.

However, it is a TNF inhibitor drug similar to Enbrel, which gained

approval in late 1998. These TNF inhibiting drugs are a new

classification of drugs called biologicals that started with Enbrel.

Patients that participated in the clinical trials of Humira

have been on the combination of MTX and Humira for over six years now,

so that is as far as the long term data is known.

I've been on Enbrel since shortly after it was approved. I worry about

the long term side effects, but I worry more about the damage RA has

and can do. I am willing to take my chances.

Everyone has to decide for themselves what they feel comfortable taking.

MTX can take up to 3 months to be effective. Some people see results

sooner.

From Abbot's site:

Long-Term Study Results

http://abbott.com/news/press_release.cfm?id=840

Long Term Safety Data on the Biologics: Enbrel, Remicade

http://www.spondylitis.org/press/news/229.aspx

a

On Aug 16, 2005, at 2:24 PM, stanley chia wrote:

> Thanks for your infomation.  I'm currently taking

> Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA.  They

> seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still got it

> after 5 weeks taking them.

>

> I'm concerned with the long term side effect.  Do you

> have any information regarding that?

>

> Regards,

>

> Stanley

[Guest guest]

Thanks. a.

--- a <a54@...> wrote:

> Stanley,

>

> The long term side effects for Humira (Adalimumab)

> are not known since

> it's only been FDA approved since 2003.

> However, it is a TNF inhibitor drug similar to

> Enbrel, which gained

> approval in late 1998. These TNF inhibiting drugs

> are a new

> classification of drugs called biologicals that

> started with Enbrel.

> Patients that participated in the clinical trials of

> Humira

> have been on the combination of MTX and Humira for

> over six years now,

> so that is as far as the long term data is known.

>

> I've been on Enbrel since shortly after it was

> approved. I worry about

> the long term side effects, but I worry more about

> the damage RA has

> and can do. I am willing to take my chances.

> Everyone has to decide for themselves what they feel

> comfortable taking.

>

> MTX can take up to 3 months to be effective. Some

> people see results

> sooner.

>

> From Abbot's site:

> Long-Term Study Results

> http://abbott.com/news/press_release.cfm?id=840

>

> Long Term Safety Data on the Biologics: Enbrel,

> Remicade

> http://www.spondylitis.org/press/news/229.aspx

>

> a

>

>

> On Aug 16, 2005, at 2:24 PM, stanley chia wrote:

>

> > Thanks for your infomation.  I'm currently taking

> > Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA. 

> They

> > seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still

> got it

> > after 5 weeks taking them.

> >

> > I'm concerned with the long term side effect.  Do

> you

> > have any information regarding that?

> >

> > Regards,

> >

> > Stanley

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

____________________________________________________

Start your day with - make it your home page

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

Thanks. a.

--- a <a54@...> wrote:

> Stanley,

>

> The long term side effects for Humira (Adalimumab)

> are not known since

> it's only been FDA approved since 2003.

> However, it is a TNF inhibitor drug similar to

> Enbrel, which gained

> approval in late 1998. These TNF inhibiting drugs

> are a new

> classification of drugs called biologicals that

> started with Enbrel.

> Patients that participated in the clinical trials of

> Humira

> have been on the combination of MTX and Humira for

> over six years now,

> so that is as far as the long term data is known.

>

> I've been on Enbrel since shortly after it was

> approved. I worry about

> the long term side effects, but I worry more about

> the damage RA has

> and can do. I am willing to take my chances.

> Everyone has to decide for themselves what they feel

> comfortable taking.

>

> MTX can take up to 3 months to be effective. Some

> people see results

> sooner.

>

> From Abbot's site:

> Long-Term Study Results

> http://abbott.com/news/press_release.cfm?id=840

>

> Long Term Safety Data on the Biologics: Enbrel,

> Remicade

> http://www.spondylitis.org/press/news/229.aspx

>

> a

>

>

> On Aug 16, 2005, at 2:24 PM, stanley chia wrote:

>

> > Thanks for your infomation.  I'm currently taking

> > Celebrex and Methotrexate for my 8-month old RA. 

> They

> > seem to help to reduce the symptoms but I still

> got it

> > after 5 weeks taking them.

> >

> > I'm concerned with the long term side effect.  Do

> you

> > have any information regarding that?

> >

> > Regards,

> >

> > Stanley

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

____________________________________________________

Start your day with - make it your home page

http://www./r/hs