New warnings for Remicade, Enbrel and Humira
Johnson & Johnson says its rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade may put patients at higher risk for lymphoma, [cancer] and the company is sending out warning letters to physicians, according to a recent report on CNN.
Remicade is beginning to be used for pemphigus, pemphigoid and other autoimmune diseases. It is especially effective against Crohns disease.
Remicade is manufactured by Centocor, a division of Johnson & Johnson, the worldwide manufacturer of medical supplies and personal care products. It is in the same class of drugs as Amgens Enbrel and Humira by Abbott Laboratories.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring new warning labels on all three medications.
There is not a direct link between an increase in lymphoma itself, but we did have cases of lymphoma occur in our clinical trials, and weve been working with the FDA, Parks said in the CNN report. Scientists are now trying to determin if the increase seen in cancer rates is due to the medication or the underlying conditions of the patients.