Description Of Product
Infliximab, Inflectra/Remicade/Renflexis
Description: Antirheumatic, Disease-Modifying; Gastrointestinal Agent; Immunosuppressant Agent; Monoclonal Antibody; Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blocking Agent
“Alert: Black Box Warning
Serious infections
Patients treated with Infliximab are at an increased risk of developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death. Most patients who developed these infections were taking concomitant immunosuppressants, such as methotrexate or corticosteroids.
Discontinue Infliximab if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis.
Malignancies
Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, including Infliximab.”
CSA NA – FDA Approved – REMS (N) – Can Ship
How Does It Work
Infliximab, Inflectra/Remicade/Renflexis is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that binds to human tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), thereby interfering with endogenous TNFα activity. Elevated TNFα levels have been found in involved tissues/fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. The suppression of TNFα’s proinflammatory actions subsequently reduces inflammation and degradative enzymes in connective tissue.
Indications For Use
Ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis
Precautions
Before starting Infliximab, Inflectra, Remicade, Renflexis make sure your physician is aware of any allergies or medications you currently take, you may be at an increased risk of developing another autoimmune disorder, hematologic disorder, heart failure, cancer, tuberculosis or experiencing a hepatic reaction.
Usual Dosing
Initial Dose: Intravenous
5mg/kg at 0, 2 and 6 weeks
Maintenance Dose: Intravenous
5mg/kg every 8 weeks.
Pharmacist Tips On Using
How to Take: An infusion will be administered at an infusion centre and should begin within 3 hours of reconstitution and dilution. Infuse over at least 2 hours, although the use of shortened infusion duration has been utilized in patients previously tolerating at least four 2-hour infusions
Side Effects
Headache, abdominal pain, nausea, anemia, elevated liver enzymes, antibody development, increased ANA titer and antibody development, local injection site pain and irritation, respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, cough, and pharyngitis.
Note this is not a complete list of side effects for Infliximab, Inflectra/Remicade/Renflexis only common ones
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do if side effects are intolerable?
If side effects are causing a lot of distress speak to your physician as soon as possible to discuss options.
Why would I be given a medication that increases my risk of infections?
This medication is used for autoimmune conditions which are essential when your immune system attacks your body inappropriately as if it were a foreign body like bacteria or viruses. In order to treat this, the immune function that is damaging your body must be subdued, however, this increases the risk of other infections occurring. While on immunosuppressant medications it is important to take all infections more seriously and get them checked out by your physician to ensure that your body is fighting them effectively.