Ankylose This! Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Friday, December 10, 2004

Remicade (infliximab) and ankylosing spondylitis

One of the new biologics, infliximab (brand name: Remicade), is being used to treat ankylosing spondylitis, apparently with success.

Chris Steel writes, "I have AS and am on the Remicade and so is my girlfriend. It is working well for us but apparently it may stop working after a certain amount of time."

One of the drawbacks of infliximab is that, like other biologics, it's freakin' expensive. You really need a drug plan. But a German study argues that it's actually a cost effective treatment: a group of 49 patients who took infliximab were hospitalized less often and had fewer days off work than they did in the year before treatment.

Comments on this post

  • BE CAREFUL !!

    JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ)
    Warned that patients taking Remicade may face an
    increased risk of liver failure and pneumonia. Remicade
    treats Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The FDA
    also approved its use for a type of arthritis of the
    spine.

    Posted by Blogger argee (12/21/2004 10:40 AM)  

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