Introduction
Adalimab 40 is a medicine used to treat a variety of conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. It provides relief from swelling, pain, and redness associated with various disorders and improves physical function.
Adalimab 40 is given by a healthcare professional and should not be self-administered. You should use it regularly and at the same time each day to get the maximum benefit from it. Continue using it as recommended by your doctor and complete the dose even if you feel better.
Some of the common side effects of this medicine include headache, sinus inflammation, rash upper respiratory tract infection, and injection site reactions such as pain, redness, and swelling. Talk to your doctor if any of these side effects do not go away with time or get worse. Your doctor may help with ways to reduce or prevent these symptoms.
To make sure the medicine is safe for you, before taking it, let your doctor know if you have any problems with your heart, kidneys, or liver. You should also tell your doctor about all the other medicines you are taking. It is important for pregnant and breastfeeding women to ask the advice of their doctors before taking this medicine.
Uses of Adalimab 40
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriasis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn’s disease
Side effects of Adalimab 40
Common
- Headache
- Sinus inflammation
- Rash
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Injection site reaction
How to use Adalimab 40
Your doctor or nurse will give you this medicine. Kindly do not self administer.
How Adalimab 40 works
Adalimab 40 blocks the action of certain chemical messengers that are responsible for inflammation, swelling and redness associated with certain joint diseases.
What if you forget to take Adalimab 40?
If you miss a dose of Adalimab 40, please consult your doctor.
Indication
Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis; Psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease; Ulcerative colitis, Plaque psoriasis, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Administration
Instruct patients using the pen or prefilled syringe to inject the full amount in the syringe, according to the directions provided
Injections should occur at separate sites in the thigh or abdomen; rotate injection sites and do not give injections into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard
Adult Dose
Subcutaneous
Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Psoriatic arthritis
Adult: 40 mg as a single dose every other wk. May increase to wkly dosing when used as monotherapy.
Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis
Adult: Moderate to severe active disease: Initially, 160 mg (given as four 40-mg inj in 1 day or as two 40-mg inj for 2 consecutive days), then 80 mg 2 wk after the initial dose (day 15). Maintenance: After 2 wk (day 29), 40 mg every other wk, may increase to 40 mg wkly if needed. Review treatment if no response w/in 8 (ulcerative colitis) or 12 (Crohn's disease) wk of therapy.
Plaque psoriasis
Adult: Initially, 80 mg. Maintenance: 40 mg every other wk beginning 1 wk after 1st dose.
Child Dose
Subcutaneous
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Child: >4 yr 15 to <30 kg: 20 mg every other wk;
>30 kg: 40 mg every other wk.
Contraindication
None listed on FDA-approved label.
Mode of Action
Adalimumab is a recombinant DNA-derived human Ig G1 monoclonal antibody. It binds to human tumour necrosis factor alfa (TNF-alpha), thus interfering w/ cytokine-driven inflammatory processes.
Precaution
Patient w/ pre-existing or recent onset central or peripheral nervous system demyelinating disorders, heart failure or decreased left ventricular function; at risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Reactivation and new onset of TB infection. Patient who travelled to or resided in regions where TB is endemic. Elderly.
Pregnancy and lactation. Monitoring Parameters Perform tuberculin skin test and HBV screening prior to treatment. Monitor for signs and symptoms of infection prior to, during and following treatment.
Lactation: Limited data from published literature indicate that adalimumab is present in low levels in human milk and is not likely to be absorbed by a breastfed infant
Side Effect
>10%
Injection site pain (12-20%),Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (17%),Increased creatine phosphokinase (15%),Headache (12%),Rash (12%),Sinusitis (11%)
1-10%
Nausea (9%),Urinary tract infection (UTI) (8%),Abdominal pain (7%),Flulike syndrome (7%),Hyperlipidemia (7%),Back pain (6%),Hypercholesterolemia (6%),Hematuria (5%),Hypertension (5%),Increased alkaline phosphatase (5%)
<1%
Allergic reactions,Hematologic disorder (leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia, aplastic anemia)
Potentially Fatal: Sepsis, opportunistic infections, TB, HBV reactivation, other malignancies (e.g. leukaemia, lymphoma, hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma), haematological, neurological and autoimmune reactions, anaphylaxis, angioneurotic oedema.
Pregnancy Category Note
Pregnancy
Available studies with use of adalimumab during pregnancy do not reliably establish an association between adalimumab and major birth defects
Clinical data are available from the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS)/Mother-To-Baby HUMIRA Pregnancy Registry in pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Crohn disease (CD)
Registry results showed a rate of 10% for major birth defects with first trimester use of adalimumab in pregnant women with RA or CD and a rate of 7.5% for major birth defects in the disease matched comparison cohort
The lack of pattern of major birth defects is reassuring and differences between exposure groups may have impacted the occurrence of birth defects
Adalimumab is actively transferred across the placenta during the third trimester of pregnancy and may affect immune response in the in-utero exposed infant
Clinical consideration
Disease-associated maternal and embryo/fetal risk
Published data suggest that the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with RA or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with increased disease activity
Adverse pregnancy outcomes include preterm delivery (ie, <37 weeks gestation), low birth weight (ie, <2500 g) infants, and small for gestational age at birth
Fetal/neonatal adverse reaction
Monoclonal antibodies are increasingly transported across the placenta as pregnancy progresses, with the largest amount transferred during the third trimester
Risks and benefits should be considered prior to administering live or live-attenuated vaccines to infants exposed to adalimumab in utero owing to possible effect on infant immune system
Lactation
Limited data from case reports in published literature describe presence of adalimumab in human milk at infant doses of 0.1-1% of maternal serum level; there are no reports of adverse effects of adalimumab on breastfed infant and no effects on milk production; developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with mother’s clinical need for therapy and any potential adverse effects on breastfed child from drug or from underlying maternal condition
Interaction
Increased risk of serious infections w/ other biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (e.g. abatacept, anakinra), rituximab. May increase immunosuppressant effect w/ tocilizumab, live vaccines.