Data reassure on anti-TNFs and infection risk
New data provide reassurance that tumour necrosis factor inhibitors do not increase rates of serious infection in rheumatoid arthritis. The
data come from the British
Biologics Register, which is funded by the
British Society
for Rheumatology and which records information on all
patients with a rheumatic disease treated with biological therapy in
the UK since 2002.
Will Dixon and colleagues from the University of Manchester analysed
infection data from 2,602 patients treated with etanercept (Enbrel),
2,871 patients treated with infliximab (Remicade) and 915 patients treated
with adalimumab (Humira). Presenting the data at the British Society
for Rheumatology annual meeting in Birmingham last month, Dr Dixon explained
that blocking the normal inflammatory response poses potential risks
for infections or re-emergence of latent infections, such as tuberculosis.
In addition, the disease process of RA may lead to a weakening of the
immune system.
The registry data showed the estimated incidence rate of all serious
infections (including those requiring intravenous antibiotics and those
leading to a hospital admission or death) for patients treated with biological
agents was 50 to 65 cases per 100 patient years, with no significant
differences between the three anti-TNF therapies. The team also compared
patients taking biological therapy with a cohort of 376 patients treated
with standard disease modifying drugs. “Our results show the rates
of infection were similar between these two groups,” said Dr Dixon.
Commenting on the results, Paul Wordsworth, from the Nuffield Orthopaedic
Centre, Oxford, said: “The fact that these results are in the range
we would have expected for RA patients and not any worse for those taking
biologics is reassuring.” |
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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