It's been a while since I posted, but I wanted to tell everyone about a front page article in today's Wall Street Journal concerning Remicade & Humira.
According to the article, two studies have linked an increase in cancer to both drugs.
The article is too long to type here, but I will try and find it online and cut and paste it here.
Not trying to alarm anyone but thought some would like to know about it.
A rather disturbing article - make sure you read the entire article. There are some questions about the research methods and conclusions so it is not time to panic.
Thanks for pointing us to this one, Uusc90grad.
[QUOTE=Marigold]..make sure you read the entire article. There are some questions about the research methods and conclusions so it is not time to panic.[/QUOTE]
Excellent point Marigold. Not sure if there is really anything in the article we haven't heard before, but it is worth the read.
I went to the Wall Street Journal website and you can't see the article unless you subscribe for a fee.
Here is what the AF had to say about this article- I wouldn't quit these drugs- but if you are worried talk to your doctor
OK Scaredy Cat me. This gives me one more reason to stick to Enbrel. Thanks BL for link and USC for bringing this up. RoxBy Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter Tue May 16, 11:52 PM ET
TUESDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with new and potent "TNF-blocking" drugs are at higher risk of developing cancer and serious infections, according to a new review of the available data.
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"This is the clearest indication that we have that the drugs contribute to the risk," said senior study investigator Dr. Eric Matteson, a professor of medicine and consultant in rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Other experts still question whether it is the drugs that are responsible for the heightened risk, or if the disease itself is responsible.
"It's just hard to sort out the malignancy issue on this," said Dr. Stephen Lindsey, head of rheumatology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "Do we really know if it's the medicine itself or the fact that these patients [taking this therapy] are the sickest? We're still trying to sort out the degree to which medicine plays a role, and the degree to which rheumatoid arthritis plays a role."
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease marked by chronic inflammation of the lining of the joints. Over time, the disease can cause long-term joint damage, chronic pain, immobility and disability. About 2 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
According to the study, more than half a million patients have been treated with TNF-blocking antibodies, most of them because they have not responded to other treatments.
Two types of anti-TNF agents are currently licensed: infliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab (Humira). Both work by neutralizing TNF -- tumor necrosis factor -- a protein that's thought to play a major role in rheumatoid arthritis.
Both drugs are also known to pose an increased risk of serious infection, long noted as a warning on the drugs' package insert.
For this study, which appears in the May 17 issue of the
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Overall, patients taking one of the two TNF-based treatments had a 3.3 times higher risk of developing cancer and 2.2 times the risk of serious infection than patients taking the placebo. Malignancies were significantly more common in people receiving higher doses, compared with patients receiving lower doses of anti-TNF antibodies.
How big is the risk? According to the researchers, for one person to develop a cancer within six to 12 months, 154 people needed to be treated with either of the two drugs. Fifty-nine people needed to be treated for one person to develop a serious infection within three to 12 months, they said.
The reason for this drug-related increase in risk remains unclear. The drugs might interfere with the body's normal defenses against infection and against cancerous cells, the experts speculated.
But even if the drugs are responsible, the benefits may still outweigh the risks.
"Generally, if people are that bad, they can't function, and they are going to take the risk," Lindsey said.
"These are highly effective drugs," Matteson said. "They are drugs we want to continue to use. The overall functional capacity and even life expectancy of patients who have controlled rheumatoid arthritis is much better than if they have uncontrolled disease."
Matteson and his colleagues are hoping to use the same methodology to assess other medicines in their post-marketing phase. "This may give us a better idea of a signal of a more unusual problem, and we could get an idea about that early on rather than when the drug has been on the market for a long, long time," he said.
More information
To learn more about rheumatoid arthritis, visit the Arthritis Foundation.
Some arthritis drugs increase risk of cancer, serious infection|
Some drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a devastating disease that can deform bone and cause extreme pain, may increase the risk for serious infections and also some cancers in rare cases, according to an analysis of nine studies involving the drugs. But doctors familiar with the research say the benefits of the drugs, Humira and Remicade, outweigh the risks for most people with rheumatoid arthritis, and the best course of action is for doctors to monitor their patients closely for symptoms of infection or cancer. Enbrel, a similar drug, was not included in the analysis, but a separate study is planned. Dr. Yvonne Sherrer of the Center for Rheumatology, Immunology and Arthritis in Fort Lauderdale said she has been prescribing the drugs for her patients for more than a decade and has seen only one cancer, a melanoma, develop in one patient. She said other patients not on the drugs have also developed skin cancers. "These are sparse events and the data need to be interpreted with great care," Sherrer said. "I think the key thing to remember is these events are very rare, yet the destructive effects of rheumatoid arthritis are very, very real. We're not seeing a lot of [cancers], but we are seeing a lot of relief from the suffering of rheumatoid arthritis." Sherrer said doctors have known for some time that patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing lymphoma. Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 2 million Americans. It occurs when the body's immune system malfunctions and attacks joints anywhere in the body. In the worst cases, patients can become disabled. It is a different disease from osteoarthritis, the most common form, which affects 21 million Americans and begins with the breakdown of joint cartilage, causing pain and stiffness. More than a half-million rheumatoid arthritis patients have received therapy with the drugs -- so-called TNF-blocking antibodies -- which can halt the body's production of a protein that can cause inflammation. The drugs can improve range of movement, ease pain, and may increase life expectancy for patients with severe disease. Dr. Eric Matteson, a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist who worked on the analysis published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, said that as the drugs slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, they also can interfere with the body's normal immune function. Patients treated with these drugs usually have not had good results with other drug treatments or have more severe disease, Matteson said. The drugs also are used to treat other immune-related diseases such as psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Of 3,493 patients in the nine clinical trials who received at least one drug treatment, 29 developed cancers, compared with only three cancers in 1,512 patients who took a placebo. Serious infections such as pneumonia occurred in 126 patients on the drugs, compared with 26 infections in people who took placebos. "Most of the patients appropriate for this therapy do not have other good options," Matteson said. "TNF-blocking antibodies are absolutely the best drug for many patients. They have revolutionized the way we treat rheumatoid arthritis, especially in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies. So, I'm not looking to get rid of this therapy. I want to see it used safely." Material from Associated Press is included in this report. Nancy McVicar can be reached at nmcvicar@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4593. |
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Some drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a devastating disease that can deform bone and cause extreme pain, may increase the risk for serious infections and also some cancers in rare cases, according to an analysis of nine studies involving the drugs. But doctors familiar with the research say the benefits of the drugs, Humira and Remicade, outweigh the risks for most people with rheumatoid arthritis, and the best course of action is for doctors to monitor their patients closely for symptoms of infection or cancer. Enbrel, a similar drug, was not included in the analysis, but a separate study is planned. Dr. Yvonne Sherrer of the Center for Rheumatology, Immunology and Arthritis in Fort Lauderdale said she has been prescribing the drugs for her patients for more than a decade and has seen only one cancer, a melanoma, develop in one patient. She said other patients not on the drugs have also developed skin cancers. "These are sparse events and the data need to be interpreted with great care," Sherrer said. "I think the key thing to remember is these events are very rare, yet the destructive effects of rheumatoid arthritis are very, very real. We're not seeing a lot of [cancers], but we are seeing a lot of relief from the suffering of rheumatoid arthritis." Sherrer said doctors have known for some time that patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing lymphoma. Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 2 million Americans. It occurs when the body's immune system malfunctions and attacks joints anywhere in the body. In the worst cases, patients can become disabled. It is a different disease from osteoarthritis, the most common form, which affects 21 million Americans and begins with the breakdown of joint cartilage, causing pain and stiffness. More than a half-million rheumatoid arthritis patients have received therapy with the drugs -- so-called TNF-blocking antibodies -- which can halt the body's production of a protein that can cause inflammation. The drugs can improve range of movement, ease pain, and may increase life expectancy for patients with severe disease. Dr. Eric Matteson, a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist who worked on the analysis published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, said that as the drugs slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, they also can interfere with the body's normal immune function. Patients treated with these drugs usually have not had good results with other drug treatments or have more severe disease, Matteson said. The drugs also are used to treat other immune-related diseases such as psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Of 3,493 patients in the nine clinical trials who received at least one drug treatment, 29 developed cancers, compared with only three cancers in 1,512 patients who took a placebo. Serious infections such as pneumonia occurred in 126 patients on the drugs, compared with 26 infections in people who took placebos. "Most of the patients appropriate for this therapy do not have other good options," Matteson said. "TNF-blocking antibodies are absolutely the best drug for many patients. They have revolutionized the way we treat rheumatoid arthritis, especially in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies. So, I'm not looking to get rid of this therapy. I want to see it used safely." Material from Associated Press is included in this report. Nancy McVicar can be reached at nmcvicar@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4593. |
I take Humira and like Brenda feel it's worth the risk....these medications carry lots of risk; this cancer research is just a drop in the bucket.
Certainly do not take these risk if you have other choices. I've always said that those that can manage on other treatments certainly go with the lesser option....but for those of us with little other choices; it's worth the risk.
I do think there are those that start biologics before other avenues have been explored. Hopefully research such as this will help some of those anxious to jump the gun see that maybe they do have other choices after all.
This is so depressing. RA SUX.you know after reading all of this, I started doing further reserch and enbrel is right in there with the others. I really started thinking about the risks more, and so then I read study after study about RA, TNF blockers, and lymphomas...I started to feel sick to my stomach about the whole idea of taking Enbrel (which I am supposed to start soon). Then I started to think about all of the other things that pose a risk for cancer that millions of people dont even think twice about. So I did a little bit of research on the effects of second hand smoke and air pollution and I feel better now. I figure, living in a big city, I have a much better chance of dying from lung cancer than developing a lymphoma.I totally with you Crunchy. It is supposed that even being in front of a microwave can develop cancer. We are ( in some way) lucky that we will have check outs regularly. We just have to have those research in mind.Exactly!!
We all have a better chance of being killed in a car accident anyday. You really can't let those things stop you if these medications will improve your life dramatically. It doesn't stop you from driving your car does it?
Again I warn those that do not really need these medications to not push your doctor to prescribe them. Not many doctors will prescribe them if they don't feel like they are nessesary....but I am hearing of some doctors rushing to be aggressive before trying other things first. If you have one of those doctors I would suggest exploring other avenues first.
Excellent point Crunch!!
And Rox; there are enough depressing issues in life as it is. Try not to dwell on things that are beyond our control. It only makes life more difficult for you.