This month is Juvenile Awareness Month. That’s right, children 16 years old or younger may also develop arthritis. When other treatments fail or the disease is severe, Adalimumab (commonly known as Humira) may help manage symptoms, but it also contains serious FDA Black Box Warnings. Continue reading to learn more:
Generic Name: Adalimumab
Brand Name(s): Humira
Pronunciation: AY da LIM ue mab
About this drug:
Adalimumab is used to treat inflammatory conditions such as many types of arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and ankylosing spondylitis in adults.
It may also treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis in adults and children.
This medication may also be used to treat chronic skin conditions such as plaque psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and uveitis.
Dentistry-related tidbits:
There is an FDA Warning that Adalimumab may increase the risk of serious infections leading to hospitalization or death. Advise patients to avoid contact with individuals who have colds or infections and to practice frequent handwashing. Monitor patients closely if they have dental infections or have undergone dental surgery, as the medication can worsen infections and delay wound healing.
This medication may cause hypertension. Always check the patient’s blood pressure and pulse before each procedure.
Prescribing a steroid while a patient is taking this medication may increase the risk of developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death.
The antifungal Itraconazole in combination with Adalimumab may increase the risk of cardiotoxicity. Before prescribing any medication, use the Rx Check tool to prevent potential drug interactions or adverse effects.
Fun facts:
The most common type of juvenile arthritis is juvenile idiopathic arthritis, also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This disease begins between ages 2 - 4 and occurs more often in girls than boys.
Adalimumab is a biological Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD) that works by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to prevent an inflammatory and immune response.
This medication has FDA Warnings consisting of serious infection risk leading to hospitalization or death and malignancy such as fatal lymphoma and other malignancies in children and adolescents treated with TNF blockers.
Adalimumab is the third TNF inhibitor approved by the U.S. in 2002, after infliximab and etanercept but unlike the other two, it is the only one constructed from a fully human monoclonal antibody.
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