Adalimumab HUMIRA®


HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT?

Adalimumab has been widely used to treat a range of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis as well as IBD. Research has found that treatment with adalimumab can be effective in bringing about and maintaining remission in people with CD. It can help to reduce the need for hospitalization and surgery, and has also been used successfully to treat CD fistulas. In some cases, it may be effective when treatment with another similar drug, infliximab, has failed.

Adalimumab has also been used to help bring on and maintain remission in people with UC who were not responding to conventional therapy. There is some evidence that combination therapy, using adalimumab with another drug, for example, an immunosuppressant such as azathioprine or methotrexate, may also be helpful for some people with IBD by reducing the risk of developing antibodies to the drug. However, studies have suggested that combination therapies may also increase the risk of side effects, including infections and some types of cancer (see below).

It is important to talk to your IBD specialist doctor before you start your treatment with adalimumab about all the possible benefits and risks, including the potential for side effects, as some of these can be serious.


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