Current Arthritis News and Research » Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

FDA Investigates Link Between TNF Blockers and Cancer

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:42 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun an investigation into links between anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) drugs, used to treat arthritis, and an increased risk of cancer in children. TNF blockers, sold under the names Enbrel, Remicade and Humira, are commonly used for the treatment of arthritis. The review is being conducted by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The FDA has received 30 reports of cancer in children under the age of 18 who had been treated for JIA with anti-TNF drugs along with other medications, such as methotrexate, or similar immunosuppressant drugs.

Nearly 50% of the reports state the patients developed Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The other reports indicate development of melanoma, leukemia and solid organ cancers.

Besides rheumatoid arthritis, TNF blockers are used to treat psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, as well as other diseases. TNF blockers are know to result in inflammation and weakening of the immune system.

The manufacturers of these drugs have been directed by the FDA to provide information about all TNF blocker recipients who have developed cancer, and in some cases to track cancer reports for 10 years. The FDA has also requested the assistance of medical professionals and patients in reporting any side effects from TNF blockers through the MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

Originally posted 2008-06-06 22:25:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Infections in Infants May Lead to Increased Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:45:50 +0000

Swedish researchers have been investigating the link between serious infections during the first year of life and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There have been previous studies that have indicated that infections can cause autoimmune diseases in adulthood. The current study seems to show that an infection in infants interferes with the normal maturation of the immune system.

To perform their analysis, the research team from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm accessed information from national registers to conduct a case controlled study or people born between 1973 and 2002.

The research involved 333 cases of RA that were diagnosed in patients that were between the ages of 16 and 29 years and 3,334 cases of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). They matched each of these cases with 4 control subjects based on gender and age.

The researchers found that people who had a serious infection in their first year had twice the risk of developing JIA. They also found that babies that were premature, small or had a low birth weight demonstrated a reduced risk for RA, although they don’t know why.

In addition, they found that having a high birth weight or having more than 3 older siblings does not have a significant impact of risk of developing RA.

Said lead author Dr. Cecilia Carlens concludes, “Nobody had thought of this relationship with early-in-life infections and how they can affect the immune system.

“Our results indicate that infections during the first year of life and possibly also factors related to size at and timing of birth may be of etiological importance in the pathogenesis of RA and JIA.”

The results of the study were published in the Tuesday edition of the online journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Originally posted 2008-10-31 12:00:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Arthritis Drugs May Lead to Infection, Death

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:45:31 +0000

The FDA ordered that the class of drugs known as Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha blockers, which are also referred to as TNF blockers or anti-TNF, carry a warning on the packaging that their use carries the risk of developing a potentially deadly fungal disease called histoplasmosis. These drugs are marketed under the names Cimzia, Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade.

The packaging already is required to warn about fungal infections in general, but the new warnings will have to specifically call out histoplasmosis. This is a result of the FDA receiving reports of 240 patients who were taking TNF blockers that developed histoplasmosis. Of those 240, 45 patients died, including at least 12 who had not been immediately been diagnosed with histoplasmosis leading to a delay in treatment. The ages of these patients ranged from 8 to 86 years, however, none of the deaths involved children.

Histoplasmosis starts in the lungs and can spread to other organs in the body. If not treated in time, it can lead to death. In healthy people the body’s immune system is able to control the histoplasmosis infection. The risk is to people that have compromised immune systems, such as patients with AIDS or taking immune system suppressing drugs, such as alpha blockers.

The fungus that causes histoplasmosis, histoplasma capsulatum, is found throughout the world. It grows in the ground and in material that is contaminated with bat or bird droppings. Concentrations can be especially high in bird roosts, caves where bats roost and poultry house litter. Histoplasmosis is also more common in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys.

Symptoms of histoplasmosis include shortness of breath, fatigue, cough and fever.

Anti-TNF drugs are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn’s disease.

The FDA published their directive on September 4th. You can read the actual release here

Originally posted 2008-09-06 18:46:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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