Biologic therapies have revolutionised disease control in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Theoretically, they have the potential to influence co-morbid disease associated with RA through better control of systemic inflammation. Conversely, co-morbidity may occur as an adverse effect of the drugs. The latest evidence from observational data shows an increased risk of infection in the fi...

Generic forms of chemically-derived drugs must exhibit chemical identity and be bioequivalent in healthy human subjects. The use of generic drugs results in a considerable savings of healthcare expenditures. Biologic drugs are produced in living systems or are derived from biologic material and extend beyond proteins to include antibodies, polysaccharides, polynucleotides, and live viral materi...

BACKGROUND Exogenous replacement of erythropoietin (EPO) by recombinant human EPO has been considered a standard of care for the treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease for more than 20 years. Genetically engineered biologic proteins derived from human, animal, or microorganism sources are a major area of growth in modern medical care, accounting for one-third of new drug ap...

Objective: Limited information exists on real-world use of anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) biologic agents in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study evaluated the treatment patterns and costs of anti-TNFα biologic therapy and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in patients with AS. Methods: MarketScan claim databases were used to identify anti-TNFα biologic treatment-naïve AS pa...

Abstract Background Biologic drugs are highly effective for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management but key drivers of costs care especially when administered intravenously (IV). Availability subcutaneous (SC) formulations has increased convenience patients and improved access to at the cost revenue health services. The aim this study was evaluate economic impact transitioning a tertiary ce...

BACKGROUND Real-life registry data reveal approximately one-third of patients taking biologic agents use them as monotherapy, in spite that combination therapy with Disease Modifying Drugs is more efficacious than monotherapy. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of biologics monotherapy in a cohort of patients with RA followed at a single center, and to analyze the reasons for mon...

OBJECTIVES Some studies have reported a possible association between exposure to tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and an increased risk of melanoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of invasive cutaneous melanomas in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with TNF inhibitors (TNFi), other biologic disease modifying drugs and non-biologic therapy. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Limited information exists on the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibition on COPD exacerbations. This retrospective study characterized this impact among COPD patients with underlying autoimmune conditions, exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and/or non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Adult COPD patients with ≥1 diagno...

With the increasing use of new, predominantly biologic drugs in dermatology, questions frequently arise in clinical practice as to their safety in women wishing to conceive as well as during pregnancy and lactation. Apart from the Summary of Product Characteristics and the Physician's Desk Reference, reliable information may be obtained from databases such as the one compiled by the Center for ...