Find information on rheumatoid arthritis in WebMD's Medical Library. The drug has already been approved to help treat the signs and symptoms of the disease. But the drug can now be used in combination with the standard rheumatoid arthritis drug called methotrexate to avoid joint damage. Here is more information about Remicade and the new approval. In a clinical trial, half of the patients given the combination of Remicade and methotrexate for just over a year did not have worsening rheumatoid arthritis.
Investigators report that the drug was well tolerated during the study.
The most common side effects were upper respiratory infections, headaches, rashes, cough, sinusitis, and a rash or mild bruising at the injection site. Health officials add, however, that doctors need to be careful when prescribing this drug to patients. The drug works by blocking the body's inflammation and immune responses, so patients could have trouble with chronic infections. Physicians also need to be sure it is appropriate before they prescribe it to patients with tuberculosis or diseases of the central nervous system that cause demyelination, where the nerves' outer insulation breaks down and scars, such as in multiple sclerosis. It's marketed in other countries by Schering-Plough and Tanabe Seiyaku Ltd. Remicade was first approved by the FDA in 1998, for treating patients with a serious inflammatory bowel condition called Crohn's disease.