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Arthritis treatments evaluated

On March 5, a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee met with researchers to assess the safety of Enbrel, Humira and Remicade, which are three biologics approved or currently being studied for the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Because biologics suppress the immune system, some may be linked to slightly increased rates of tuberculosis and lymphoma, a type of cancer.

Most of the meeting focused on rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis, but tuberculosis has also occured in psoriatic arthritis patients using Enbrel and Remicade. The researchers also presented evidence of higher rates of lymphoma in rheumatoid arthritis patients, but concluded it was difficult to link the cause to the three drugs. The FDA has called for more evaluation.

For more information, please go to the Arthritis Advisory Committee dockets site.
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