Description
Infliximab injection is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker used for:
-
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, along with the medication methotrexate.
- Crohn’s Disease: children aged 6 years and older and adults with Crohn’s disease who have not responded well to other medications.
- Plaque Psoriasis: adult patients with plaque psoriasis that doesn’t go away, severe, extensive, or disabling.
- Ulcerative Colitis (UC): children aged 6 years and older and adults with moderately to severely active UC who have not responded well to other medicines.
Dosage and Side Effects of Infliximab Injection:
The recommended dosage of infliximab injection is administered by intravenous infusion over a period of not less than 2 hours.
- Psoriatic Arthritis: The recommended dosage is 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks.
- Ankylosing Spondylitis: The recommended dosage is 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 6 weeks.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: In conjunction with methotrexate, the recommended dosage is 3 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks. Some patients may benefit from increasing the dose up to 10 mg/kg or treating as often as every 4 weeks.
- Crohn’s Disease: The recommended dosage for Pediatric and Adult patients is 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks. Some adult patients who initially respond to treatment may benefit from increasing the dose to 10 mg/kg in case they later lose their response.
- Plaque Psoriasis: The recommended dosage is 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks.
Ulcerative Colitis: The recommended dosage for Pediatric and Adult patients is 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 & 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks.
The most commonly reported side effects (>10%) due to infliximab infusion include: infections (e.g. upper respiratory, sinusitis, and pharyngitis), abdominal pain, headache, and infusion-related reactions.
Warning and Precautions of Infliximab Injection:
- Prior to initiating infliximab 100 mg injection and periodically during treatment, patients should be assessed for active TB and tested for latent infection.
- Closely monitor patients for the development of signs/symptoms of infection while on and after treatment with infliximab 100 mg, including the development of TB in patients who tested -Ve for latent TB infection before initiating therapy.
- Malignancies have been observed among young adults, children, and adolescents who received treatment with TNF blockers. Patients need to be counseled about the probability of lymphoma and other malignancies while on infliximab 100 mg therapy.
- Patients should seek prompt medical attention if they have signs and symptoms suggestive of blood dyscrasias or infection (e.g., persistent fever) while on treatment with Infliximab.
- Patients should seek prompt medical attention if they have any new or worsening signs/symptoms of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular reactions which have been observed during and within 24 hours of starting infliximab infusion.
- Infliximab-treated patients should avoid receiving live vaccines or therapeutic infectious agents.
